Question
Hello,
I have several tropical hibiscus (Tradewinds series) on my deck that are doing well in terms of bloom production. After an extensive search, a local garden center recently was able to obtain an orange one (Tradewinds Montego Wind) for me. It is in a ten inch pot, looks healthy, and although it initially dropped a lot of buds (we have had extreme heat and humidity this summer - Baltimore, MD) it has now produced multiple blooms. However, the blooms are much smaller than they should be, not only in comparison to the other varieties of Tradewinds' hibiscus that I have, but also to pictures that I have seen of Montego Wind online. When I have surfed the net the only thing that I found was that if the hibiscus had gone through a dry spell and lacked water, that this might account for the small blooms. I have only had the plant for a few weeks, and know nothing about its prior history. Perhaps the best explanation to account for the small blooms is that it is just getting acclimated to its new home. I was told that it had been repotted and fed just prior to my getting it.
Thanks for any thoughts on the matter.

Answer
It is definitely a symptom of stress, be it lack of nutrients, water or Sun or even the manner in which it is contained; as is often the case, without being there physically and assessing the situation, it is difficult to make a snap judgement. I would just take a wait and see attitude , for it did send out blooms, and that is a good sign; keep it properly irrigated in full Sun and hopefully the next flush will be better.