Thanks, Toni. It's not sticky and no pests that I can see. Maybe I overwatered? I used fertilizer a couple times - perhaps that's the culprit?

Will check bark with my fingers crossed.

If the inside is green, should I be cutting back the limbs at all? Or leave it as is?

Okay - checked branches/trunk. Trunk (further down) is green. Higher up and some branches are brown. Ack! What to do?

Cut it back to the green wood and then make sure it dries some btween waterings. With little to no leaves there will not be much need for watering until new growth starts and the new leaves start to transpire then more water will be needed.
Hope this helps and that your baby makes it til the warm time for you
Happy Planting David

David -

Before I hack away at my hibiscus (the very thought frightens me!) I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing. The trunk is green. The branches/limbs are not. Do I cut off to the trunk? And, will it grow/bloom this year?

I'm in Vancouver, BC, so we have a bit of time until it's really warm here.

I bought my first two hibiscus trees last summer, and they did beautifully on our deck. I brought them inside when it started to get cold and kept them in the basement next to the sliding glass doors so they'd get some sunlight. I watered them very occasionally, but over the winter, they both lost all of their leaves (some turned yellow first) and ended up looking like a bunch of sticks. I did nothing in terms of pruning and really thought they were finished. Well, lo and behold, about a month ago, one and then the other started growing new leaves - the smaller one is now beautiful and blooming; the other is coming along more slowly but more new leaves and future blooms are sprouting every day. Recently I started to bring them outside during the day and inside again at night, and I started watering them regularly and feeding them once a week with Miracle Gro. Now it's warmed up enough to leave them outside all the time, and they seem to be doing great. Maybe before you prune, you should try taking them outside when it's warm enough during the daytime - sunlight and warmer temps seem to have done wonders for mine. Good luck!

Thanks for the note about your trees - makes me think there might be hope! I think I'll try that (hoping for sunshine and warmth) instead of chopping quite yet. I'm in Vancouver, Canada, so it's still too cold, but once it's warm out, I'll gladly sit them outside.

I wonder if hibiscus trees go dormant?

I'm having the exact same problem with my hibiscus tree this winter. I bought it last spring, it was beautiful all summer long with plenty of huge blooms. I brought it in for the winter, set it near a large window and water it only when it is dry. All of the leaves have fallen off. What did you do with your tree and did it come back? I'm thinking I might follow the last posting and just set it outside when it warms up. Just wondering if yours came back. Thanks.

My hibiscus was eaten by a nasty squirrel before we brought it in for Fall. I have moved it to this window while we paint the great room. It has been flowering on the top for months now but I wonder if its green leaves will grow back for the summer. anyone know? Do I need to prune it?

My hybiscus is doing great. I put it on the deck in the spring and summer. It was doing good until September, then it wasn't doing too well. I told my family that I was going to throw it away, then it started to bloom again. It has been blooming all winter. I have another hibiscus plant, it is a braided plant. My friend gave it to me and she had it in a pot that had no drain holes,the leaves started turning black and falling off. I transplanted it into a smaller pot with drain holes, with new soil and now new leaves are growing back. I think it will survive.

I let mine get too cold in my sunroom, and lost all the leaves. They are all starting to grow back now aside from a few dead tips. I would wait to chop until you get new leaves and can really see the dead parts clearly.

It'll be fine. They just went dormant. Wait until leaves start to come out and cut back to there. They really do hate temperatures under 60 degrees, which is probably hard to get in Canada, even indoors. They will always drop all their leaves in that circumstance. BTW, don't fertilize hibiscus in the winter. Only from when you put it outside to right before you bring it in. It isn't going to grow in the winter, and you're only burning the roots...and wasting fertilizer. You barely have to water at all in the winter. Stick your finger into the soil. If it's dry down to your second knuckle, add a little water -- very little. It's o.k. to actually let it dry out almost completely in the winter before you water. You're going to lose leaves anyway. Hibiscus hate wet feet.

That’s what mine looks like and i almost threw them out but after reading the posts I’m glad that i didn’t!

My braided hibiscus has sprouted fig shaped leaves on one branch and does not produce flowers on this branch. The other branches are normal.