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A garden enthusiast who loves to travel and capture the beauty of places and freeze the memories of her travels in photographs, as well as document her experiences in verse...thankful for the simple pleasures in life.

Monday, May 30, 2011

When a Rose is not a Rose

This post is about my Confederate Rose, which is not a rose, but a hibiscus. It belongs to the Malvaceae family and is known as Hibiscus mutabilis. My Confederate Rose bush happens to be a double flowered cultivar which produces really large flowers that are about four inches across.


What makes this flower so special is its magical ability to dazzle! If you have seen quick-change acts on stage where the performer changes her clothes in the wink of an eye, then this is the flower version. In the early morning, this flower is white in colour. It slowly changes into a blushing pink by noon, and in the evening, it is red! This magic act in my garden never fails to amaze my friends. You can't help but fall in love with this beauty


It is also known as Cotton Rosemallow, Cotton Rose and nicknamed the Changeable Beauty.







Why is it named the Confederate Rose? Well, in the USA, it is generally grown in the section that was once known as the Confederate States of America. It is a popular garden plant in the United States, but it is native to Southern China.









According to Wikipedia, in Ancient China, the flowers are believed to resemble beautiful ladies. Some historical paintings depicting beautiful young women are titled "Cotton rosemallow out of the Water", which has the proverbial meaning of a young lady whose beauty is appreciated.











9 comments:

  1. These are lovely photos of a beautiful flower!

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  2. This is amazing, I've never seen or heard something like this with the color change.

    Your site loads more than 5 min instead of 5 sec. but it was worth to wait and see such a beauty.
    Please don't insert your blog url in the MFS list, not all people is patient enough to wait up loading the entire homepage. To leave a comment they have to wait three time that much, till the comment form and than the khapta loads. I hope you don't mind my speaking up.

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  3. I'm back and I apologize, I just checked and your link is O.K.
    I still don't understand why does it takes so long.

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  4. wow how beautiful - I would be mesmerized all day by that beauty and never get anything done! I never realized the plant was native to China!

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  5. Okay....THAT is an awesome hibiscuis! I'm thinking I'd be camping out in the garden the full day just to watch the changes.

    Very cool.

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  6. They are beautiful hibiscus and your photos are stunning..

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  7. Sorry I've been unable to reply to your comments lately. Been away again...this time to Hong Kong and Macau. Will be posting more photos soon.
    @ Rachel and Linda - thanks for appreciating those photos.
    @ Mel and africanaussie - I'll provide the coffe and biscuits while you both camp out in my garden!
    @ Maia - Thanks for alerting me about my big photos...these were huge files, so that's why they open up so slowly. I'll resize the otheres when I post, next time.
    Rosie

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  8. It is such a beautiful Hibiscus and your photos show off the transition in colour so well. I wish this Hibiscus would grow here ... I have lots of the old-fashioned red-flowering ones, but would love something like this as a feature. Great photos.

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  9. These are just soooooo pretty!!

    Have a great day!

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