Are they Hibiscus syriacus? They need a sunny position ideally, guest, although they will tolerate a little shade during the day, so a shady site isn't such a good idea! You'd be unlikely to get any flowers for a start. They won't like it in the shade, I'm afraid.

If the plants are 'really' small, then I think, bearing in mind where you are in the UK, that it might be wiser to pot them on and keep them in a sheltered corner until the spring. Wrap the pots on bubblewrap if the weather gets really icy, or the rootballs will freeze.

If the plants are a good size, then you could get them into the soil now, however.

Thank you for that,they are small,but are flowering,I spoke to 2 lady gardeners yesterday who were rather scathing about them! No leaves till July and late flowering period,they said perhaps put in a conservatory,lovely exotic flowers,I am trying for a tropical garden,well thats the moral of the story Impulse buying in supermarkets!

Welcome to GOY - glad you joined us! Have you still got the labels for your plants? I'm wondering if these are Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, which are not hardy, have very large flowers, and do need to be kept indoors.

If they're H. syriacus, the flowers are smaller, but still beautiful, and yes, the leaves do appear late in the season, about end May - June. They're lovely shrubs in a garden - they flower in August.