I am especially excited about my 2023 seedlings. Until then, all my seedlings had come from cross-pollinating nursery varieties. That was a very intentional decision. I wanted to learn the process hands-on, to understand seed raising from the ground up, and to make my early mistakes on plants that were more easily replaceable. Hybridizing demands humility, and I knew the learning curve would be real.

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At the beginning of 2023, I started building my collection of exotic hibiscus. As the plants matured and began to bloom, I eagerly began incorporating them into my crosses. In the early stages, they could only serve as pollen parents since they were too young to set pods. Later, as they gained strength, they became pod parents as well — and that felt like a quiet milestone in my journey.

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The 2023 seed batch, however, tested me deeply. It was a season of many ups and downs — mostly downs. After transplanting, I suffered significant losses, largely due to pest pressure, especially whiteflies. They quickly became the bane of my existence. Despite multiple attempts to control them, including chemical treatments, completely eliminating them proved incredibly difficult.

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That year taught me more than any easy success ever could. Hybridizing is not just about creating beauty — it is about persistence, observation, and resilience in the face of setbacks.

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There’s something beautifully brutal about raising seedlings. They don’t reward enthusiasm; they reward precision, patience, and adaptation. And every grower who stays in this long enough earns their scars. 🌺