Question
Hi, I live in SW France, near Cahors, where the temps are normally between 85 and 100 in June to Sept. I chose a small Hibiscus Syracus Marina (about 2 1/2 feet high) along with a Bouganvillea and some beautiful scented climbers (Jasmine, Honeysuckle, and Ivy Morning Glory) for my Birthday at the beginning of June. Until about a week ago we had unseasonably rainy weather, and all the plants were doing fine. However, this last week, the normal temps have returned and we have had blazing sun, no rain and 90-100 degree heat. The plants had no water for four days due to a hospitalisation of one of the children, and last night I realised that my poor Hibiscus was dying when I went up to water the plants, which are all potted, on an outside balcony that is south-facing, but only gets full sun from about 11am to 5pm as there is a hill behind the house to the south. Its leaves are all dry and shrivelled, but not completely brown, 90% are still green. I watered it really thoroughly last night and again this morning, but wondered if you can tell me whether it is possible that it could recover? I'm hoping that maybe if I water it so that the compost stays moist all the time, that it might recover, as I have read elsewhere on the internet that they can sometimes lose all their leaves from stress/heat/potting in too large a pot/moving them, and that the leaves then regrow quickly afterwards. Can you advise me please? Some of the smaller leaves are brown and dry, clearly dead, but as I said the larger leaves are curling up and dry but not totally brown or completely crispy. That said, I know it's in dire distress. Is there anything else I can do to help it other than water it and keep the compost moist? Should I feed it fertiliser? It hasn't had any since I bought it as I thought it needed some time to settle in before I tried feeding it. Your advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Answer
Hello Emma,
Thanx for your question.  It is entirely possible that the plant can be saved.  The last thing to die is the woody part of the plant so I would water it so that the soil is constantly moist but not soggy because you don't want to develop root rot.  Feed the plant a diluted (50% strength) solution of fish emulsion which you should be able to find at your local nursery.  Follow the directions on the container but at only half strength.  Just keep watering the plant.  It gets very hot where I live too, often over 100 F around mid July to September.  Any containers I have outside need to be watered in the morning and sometimes in the evening.  I hope this helps and I hope the child that was hospitalized is doing well.
Tom