In message , Kathryn Vickers
writes
These are nice, and I have a great sunny (though maybe to hot) place in
mind, but I don't know if they'd take the frosts we normally (in any normal
weather pattern year) get.

Also, are they any good for creating a screening effect? I know they die
back in winter, but maybe against a trellis to have a summer screen to hide
something ugly?

Thanks
kathy

Hibiscus covers a large variety of plants (150 to many more species,
depending on what concept of the genus is being used), and you don't
mention what type you thinking of.

The only ones that I know die back are the North American hardy
hibiscuses (section Muenchhusia), of which at least some forms can take
hard frosts. Hibiscus syriacus and allies (section Hibiscus) are also
hardy, but don't die back. I'm told that various species of section
Furcaria are killed back to the ground by frosts, and sprout from the
ground (in southern Queensland). They're vigorous enough to serve as a
summer screen.

Try http://www.hibiscus.org/
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley
http://www.malvaceae.info/Genera/Hibiscus/Hibiscus.html