Hibiscus (Rosa sinensis) 'Brilliant' UPDATE

 this is an exerpt from the latest entry to the Photo/History of Hibiscus 'Brilliant'; to see full history for this plant, click-on link.

The Hibiscus continues to impress & amaze me at the resilience & vigor that this little tree displays on a daily basis. I'm starting to understand why the Hibiscus has a world-wide following. Easy to grow, but un-pruned could turn into a giant impenetrable jungle; easy to look at, but flowers only last for a day or two; a tropical plant that given water, can live & thrive in desert-like conditions. 

The 3 'shoots' that I chose to keep in August have become juvenile branches; those branches will become the basic structure of this tree. Given the basic structure, adding sub-branches & sub-sub branching on which the foliage & flowers will appear is just a matter of time & patience.

This was/is my 1st "chop", as the term is known, which is a technique used in Bonsai development. Once you get past the horror of 'chopping down a perfectly good tree' you start to realize that this is a method to save a 'perfectly good tree' & that this is how nature does it..different means, for sure, but one of the miracles of life as we know it.

This is a multi-year project, so I don't expect to see anything resembling a full-grown trees for some time, but I hope others might enjoy watching the progression & development over time, as it occurs.