Question

unknown flower   My husband purchased this flower and we do not know what type of plant it is.  We need to know where to plant and how to care for it.  It looks a little like a hibiscus but have many differences.  Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Answer
Ginger
I assure you your flowering plant is a Hibiscus...Flowering plants are classified by the structure of their flower...Your flower is definitely in the Genus - Hibiscus which are plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae...

It is a large genus, containing several hundred species that are native to warm-temperate, tropical and subtropical regions...They can be annual, perennial herbaceous plants, as well as woody shrubs and or small trees...They have alternate leaf arrangement with ovate to lanceolate shape and toothed or lobed margin. The flowers are large and conspicuous. Flowers are trumpet shaped with five or more petals...Colors can be white, pink, red, orange, purple, yellow and two-toned...The exact type would be hard to determine...Normally they have a label in the pot from the grower to give you this information...Without a label I can only offer an educated guess - Dubai Red Hibiscus...Check it out on your search engine and see if you agree...

The hibiscus is a tropical plant and likes to grow where the climate is warm. Here in New Jersey we have a variety more cold tolerant than most varieties called Rose of Sharon...Tropical varieties do well inside during the winter and are very good as outdoor container plants during the warm months...

Plant care and where to plant it depends largely on where you live...You did not supply this information...Get to a local garden center (not chain store) and ask them how to care for hibiscus in the ground or in containers...

Here is some basic care for your plant if you decide to put it in a container...Water your plant based on how much it weighs when thoroughly watered VS when it is ready to be watered again. Plants die from too frequent waterings, not from how much water you give them at one time (This is true for in ground plants also)...Pick up or lean the pot and feel how heavy it is after watering it thoroughly. Don't water it again until it feels considerably lighter and the top of the soil is light in color. Depending on plant types, sunlight exposure and pot size plants will need water at many different rates from once a day to once a month or more...
It will need to be fertilized on a weekly to monthly basis during the growing season...Ask someone at your local garden center what to use and how to fertilize your plant...Hope this helps...

Rick in southern NJ