I would certainly plant it in the ground and give it an inch or two of mulch. Pine needles work great. This Hibiscus is slow to grow in the spring, but should appear in April or early May. It is VERY hardy, and will provide lots of satisfaction! It is a complex hybrid of hibiscus coccineus, a subtropical Gulf Coast species that is hardy to at least zone 7. Lord Baltimore should be hardy to zone 5 or 6 with a mulch.