Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:

To the best of my knowledge H. syriacus blooms on the current years
wood, so something eating the buds last fall would be an unlikely
explanation.

H. syriacus will lose its flower buds if it gets too dry. (That's why
I'm giving up growing them in pots.) But I expect you would have noticed
if this had happened.

Is it a cultivar or a seedling? If it is a seedling being too young is
plausible, but grafted cultivars flower at quite a small size.

Thanks for the helpful replies!

This hibiscus syriacus was a little Home Depot cheapie as I wasn't sure
I had enough sun available to invest in an expensive one.

It looks healthy and it's growing, so maybe next year it will surprise
me. It's getting about 5 hours of sun where I've planted it, and it is
not too dry.



--Jenny