Amazing! My joy runethed over. There, planted in pots by the entrance to the Garden Shop, were the very same plants I had been trying to identify for over a year. I started them from seed, found on the ground strewn with many strange seeds after a storm in a faraway tropical location. Now at last they had been named, Hibiscus acetocella, Red Shield. They grew like the proverbial beanstalk that a cow was traded for, requiring periodic topping to maintain them indoors below ceiling height throughout last winter. This variety is not listed in my copy of Perennials For American Gardens, by Clausen and Ekstrom. I did find it in an on-line exotic plant and garden seed catalog as Hibiscus acetosella, one letter different.
Cornell Plantations grows it as an annual for its form and color.Mine, now outdoors again in its second summer, shows no sign of flowering. Does anyone have experience with this variety? How long does it take to flower? This link claims it has mauve, or red-striped, yellow flowers with a dark-red eye. I intend to let winter take its course with the one outside and maintain the strain indoors over winter with two cuttings which are already three feet tall. The top few feet of my outdoor plant are shown in this photo.
One of the pots by the entrance had some Nasturtiums, Strawberries and Cream, from Thompson & Morgan. They really caught my eye as did a specimen of Musa Zebrina, funny color for a Zebra. In Java, the leaves are boiled for its wax.
Cornell Plantations covers almost 3000 acres. The flower and adjacent herb garden are only a miniscule part of it. One advantage of the association with a superb (a proud alumni talking) university is the wealth of knowledgeable support available. Some even on the Net. For example, check out the Floriculture & Ornamental Horticulture Homepage. For all you ever wanted to know about growing medium and then some, try this link.
I neglected to ask anyone on the staff if they try to propagate Pennisetum setaceum Ruberosa from collected seed. There were several groups of these ornamental grasses around. I have been notoriously unsuccessful in doing so. I get a big
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