There they were, sitting on a sales table among the ranks of other hibiscus shrubs, both hardy and tropical. Nothing about them blared their claim to fame, certainly not the wizened, faded flowers.
Here sat a few of the newly released Texas-bred and Texas-hardy hibiscus whose plant pigments produce the elusive blue, the rarest and most sought-after color in flowers. Released in July and primarily to Texas retailers, 'Brandy Bleu,' 'Cordon Bleu' and 'Grape Sorbet' are among the Summer Spice hardy hibiscus series developed by Texas A&M University AgriLife Research and the Texas Foundation Seed Service.
Hardy for Texas
Until the breakthrough introduction of 'Blue Angel' in 2012, hardy hibiscus bloomed only in red, white and pink. More than a decade ago, Dariusz Malinowski, a plant physiologist with AgriLife in Vernon, Texas, began tinkering with hibiscus pollen as a hobby. He planted about 150 experimental plants in the Vernon yards of fellow researchers to test them for hardiness in winter and summer as well as flower color, flower size and compact plant size.
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