What do the leaves on the plant look like?

sara

Health-wise they look very good, no sign of anything amiss.
I wonder if it could be a result of climate change, heavy rain/no rain.
They were planted last year from seed, so this is the first year they should bloom.
I'm just disappointed because the first plants to bud have lost all of them, though a few new plants look like they are about to produce blooms.
-HPD

Mine are beautiful and I don't have true answer. Have you checked carefully for caterpillars and thrips?
Sammy

Of course some of the plants decided to bloom less than 12 hours after I posted.
Do they enjoy torturing me and can they read my mind?
See the Gallery for pic.

I had about five blooms on my hardy hibiscus, and then when I deadheaded each spent one, I noticed that the rest of the buds that had shown so much promise had been eaten from inside! There was nothing to show any signs of anything wrong. A friend told me to get some systemic food that had insecticide included--something used for roses--and "feed" it to my hydrangea. The plant looks great otherwise, so I'm hopeful, I can encourage new buds.

Here is a link that might be useful:

HPD - they are caterpillars inside. I remove them and throw them on the sidewalk and stomp on them, or toss them a bucket of soapy water. All of my hibiscus get some of these yellow buds, but they are usually not prolific.

Susan

Thanks for the heads-up.
I never thought to open any of the yellow buds.
I'll be on the lookout now though.

-HPD

HPD,
It could be partly from not enough water. My two hibiscus in the front tropical bed that receive ample water have been blooming like crazy. But the plants in the back yard that have been deprived of water have dropped most of their buds. I will check the buds for caterpillars, but I believe in my case the dropped buds were lost from lack of water.

My tropical hibiscus has been overwintered 2 winters, so it seems hardy to me. It's beautiful, but some of the leaves turn yellow. I water it every day. Is that the problem? It's so hot here. I've tried not watering it a couple of days, but the leaves still turn yellow. I give it plant food every two weeks. Why do the leaves turn yellow?