I am growing both the red and the white varieties of this hibiscus ( Hibiscus coccineus). This is a hardy subtropical species from the Gulf coast region. You should lightly mulch these plants after setting them out in your garden. They should resprout in mid to late spring in your garden, and bloom nicely next year. First year blooms are possible, but not certain. Next year you should have lots of flowers, starting in July or early August.
Contact me by email if you want seeds of my white one, or my garden hardy tropical species- Cuban Hibiscus!

I also have both the red and white varieties. Being that I am in zone 9 mine begin to bloom in early June and are still blooming. I cut mine back before our first frost and they come back very nicely in early spring.

palmfan - do you have a picture of your Cuban Hibiscus?

Sorry! I don't have a clue how to post pictures with my messages. I can tell you that the flowers are a purplish pink. The leaves are somewhat like very long triangles in that they are very elongated. The leaves are quite downy and the stems are quite thorny, much like a rose. The plant blooms until freezing weather kills the above ground growth. Like other herbaceous hibiscus, it is slow to emerge in the spring, but grows well when it "wakes up" in the spring. Also, this hibiscus has an endearing habit of folding its leaves into a vertical position each evening, much like the old fashioned houseplant called the Prayer Plant.