hibiscus tree, dead or not?

[campinghippie]

so I really don't know anything and I am not sure if my hibiscus tree that I planted last summer is dead or not. Was really healthy the whole time I had it and now looks like a dead stick in the ground even though all of my other plants are thriving. I am not sure if it was "hardy" or not. The bark has started to peal off the last week. Is this a sign of new growth? I have read a lot that makes me think it might not be dead, like I have previously thought. Any insight would be helpful. Trying to figure out if I should replace it or not.

[bullthistle]

There are several reasons why it seems dead. A colder winter with wind will dry out plants as will not really planting it correctly. Plants will live for at least a year and look healthy if when the soil is backfilled isn't tamped down. Air pockets kill more plants because some don't practice good planting. Tamping down the soil around the base of a plant is a must, and not with the heel of a shoe, but with the end of a shovel. If there is no new growth coming up at the bottom of the stem then yes the plant is dead. Sometimes with winterkill, new growth will sprout up from the base, if not then off to buy another.

[thanrose]

Given your location, unless it was something like Hibiscus syriacus aka Rose of Sharon, it probably is dead, probably was dead at the first hard frost.

There are many Hibiscus species, though.

Bark peeling could be lots of things, but most likely indicates that stem is dead on a hibiscus in any climate. Even with frosting back, it's possible that something like a newly planted Rose of Sharon could rebound from the roots.