Firstly thanks so much for trying to help me out here! Here is a picture of my plant. Very sad looking. At the beginning of the season it wasn't growing at all so I fertilized it and it put out some growth (including a few buds but they fell off) but then it didn't keep growing.
Regarding my location - no that's not the case. I live in SoCal, zone 10a.
I will get some pics of neighbors plants tomorrow. I think where exactly but I know I've seen people growing this same plant nearby.