Plant Gardens 101

Mallow family
Malvaceae
Hy-bis’kus. An important genus of over 250 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees, with many popular garden annuals.

Description
Leaves alternate, with veins arranged finger-fashion, sometimes lobed or parted. Flowers usually large, generally bell-shaped, with 5 petals and sepals, or sometimes the sepals united to form a 5-toothed calyx. Stamens united in a tubular structure that surrounds the style. Often a series of bracts beneath the calyx.

How to Grow   (more…)

Hibiscus flowers are so attractive and graceful to look at.

They come in many colors and sizes, and can even reach the height of 15 feet. Some varieties of these wonderful plants are:

Hibiscus Splendens (Malvaceae)
Its corolla is of a beautiful rose color, the lower part of the filaments is pale, the upper rose colored like the corolla. The anthers are dark crimson, and arranged in pyramidal form. Projecting from around which arise five deep red, hairy, round stigmas, of which parts in the expanded flower produce a pleasing effect.
Considered the king of all known Australian plants. It thrives well in a mixture of loam and peat, and cuttings will strike readily in sand or mould under a hand glass in heat.

Hibiscus Vesicarius (African Hibiscus)
This is a plant of very easy culture, and should be planted in the spring. It is a showy plant with large petals, of a straw color, the centre a deep rich brown or purple, finely contrasted with the brilliant gold color of the stamens or anthers. The flowers quickly perish, but, to make up for their frailty, it carries on blooming from June to September. (more…)

The World Health Organisation defines hypertension as blood pressure higher than 140/90. An ordinary condition in the developed world affecting roughly 20% of adults.

People with high blood pressure generally do not experience any symptoms and are not aware that their blood pressure is high. Hypertension can lead to worrying health troubles such as heart failure and strokes.
It is said that blood pressure can be lowered by drinking an extract of Hibiscus flower each day, in the form of tea. Hibiscus tea consists of high levels of antioxidants, such as flavonoids, which are excellent for our bodies and hearts. These antioxidants help our bodies resist the harmful molecules known as free radicals, which can cause cell damage, leaving the body in a sick condition. By taming free radicals, antioxidants help look after the health of the body.

Hibiscus tea can successfully contribute to the weight loss process without making you tired, dizzy or ill. Most people are not familiar with the wonderful weight loss qualities of Hibiscus tea.

The effects of this flower on weight are better if consumed in a natural form rather than processed forms like powders or capsules. (more…)

The botanical name for mallow.