What do I do with my Hibiscus acetosella 'Red Shield'

I sowed seeds of this last spring and got two plants. One plant grew well over six feet tall and another only about four feet. It didn't have time to flower before the cooler weather and light frost came. They are still alive and I want to have the chance to see it flower next year if possible.
Can I cut it down to a couple feet and pot it up and bring it into the house or garage? Can I take cuttings from the tips and root them for next year? It took me a lot of trouble to get them this far and I do want to see them flower.
This is the taller one back in the summer, it is taller and the stem is thicker now.

These are SUPER easy to root. I just took cuttings 8-12 inches long and put them in water. Once they rooted, I then potted them up to bring inside.

And if you want to keep the mature rootball, cut it back and dig it up to store.

I dug up the shorter one and brought it in, but the tall one had roots that were just too stuck to get out. It hasn't rained in a long time here and the ground is really like concrete to dig up. So I went ahead as you said and took a bunch of cuttings. Thanks for the info.

I took a lot of cuttings from the plant and now have some flowers opening. Glad I took your advice and saved it. I have a pot full in the garage and these are in the house in a window. I brushed the pollen around in the flower and hope the pollination takes. They all have roots and one in the kitchen window is in water and had been in there since this thread , I was about to give up on it, but this week it got roots!

We only get down to the mid 20's during the winter, and then only for a short time. Will my H. a. 'Red Shield' be ok outside or will it croak? I did get a few flowers, wow, they are really neat! Can I cut it back and protect it from direct contact with the frost or should I take cuttings? Whatcha think?

K

I am going to wait for the replay also as I don't have any idea. Mine lost the vitality with temps in the above freezing range. I bet the 20's would kill it. The cuttings were easy in very moist potting soil in pots. I started a couple in water, but most were started in the soil. I noticed the shape and color of the leaves is different now. not as palmate and the leaves are a green. This will probably all go back to their normal shape and color once the light requirements are the same in the springtime.

K, Yes take cuttings. There must be a branch that is 'out of place' that can be trimmed without hurting the shape of the plant.
6 - 8 inch cuttings in sand or potting soil works great. Keep them warm and out of direct sun for a while.
I place a dozen or so in a shallow 10 inch pot, once they take off I re-pot them individually. This is also cheap insurance just in case the big plant gets hit by frost.
Andy P

I have about 4 H. a 'Red Shield' including one plant from a DG's member here ;)
I planted them in the garden last spring and they grew over 8 ft tall, but not flowers. The first hard freeze in November killed the top growth. I'm testing them this winter to see how hardy they will be here in zone 8.So far this winter season we have had temps in the low 20's. The lowest temp was 21 last week with it below freezing for about consecutive 14 hours. Typically here in zone 8a January is the coldest month with temps dipping into the teens at least twice. As insurance I have few in pots keeping them above freezing in my gh. It will be next April or May before the verdict is in on whether 'Red Shield' shielded the cold this season.