It's ironic that some of the best blooms of the African Daisy, osteospermum, on the Isle of Wight came at a time just before hard frosts that are likely to kill off some of the least hardy perennial varieties...

Our super-hot summer was just too warm and dry for this South African national which looks its best in that country – and here - in spring and autumn into winter.

It has vibrant colours in almost all the spectrum - and some are hardier than others...

Thompson & Morgan do a collection that will put up with colder winters than many of the rest.

WATCH: Pruning Osteospermum, Ready For Spring

 

Snow Pixie sports clean, white, petals with a golden yellow eye; Tresco Purple has bold pink daisy flowers which open every morning to greet the sun and Osteospermum jucundum compactum has cheerful, bright pink daisy flowers - which like its sisters smothers weeds with carpets of low growing foliage.

Voltage Yellow, which bloomed its best this autumn here, is less hardy and might not make it through the recent cold snap, unless in a sheltered spot.

Fingers crossed for the one in a pot on our front patch.

All should be grown in light, moderately fertile, well-drained soil in a warm, sunny position.

They will tolerate poor soil, salt or drought. As an insurance policy softwood cuttings can be taken and overwintered under glass.

Not all winter colour is problematic.

Isle of Wight County Press: Winter jasmine.Winter jasmine. (Image: Richard Wright)

Winter jasmine, with its flecks of yellow flowers, is hardy here, even in the coldest of winters, and will flourish if planted in a well-drained bed. It is best trained on a trellis or wire.

Pyracantha, also known as firethorn, for its flame-coloured berries and prickly stems, is probably the best for winter colour with its yellow, orange or red berries

It can used as a stand-alone shrub or hedge and provides a bonus Christmas present for birds - festive fare when there is not much other food about.

RICHARD'S TOP TIPS:

  • If you haven't done so already, clean out the greenhouse thoroughly. Wash the glass, the floor and the staging with dilute Jeyes fluid to kill any overwintering pests and diseases.
  • Ventilate the greenhouse on warmer days to reduce humidity and the risk of disease.
  • Dig out a spit’s depth of soil and work in some well-rotted manure to greenhouse borders to prepare them for spring. Leave enough space to add fresh compost later on.
  • Keep fleece to hand to protect hardy salad crops such as lettuce Winter Gem, land cress, purslane, and lamb’s lettuce on cold nights.
  • Protect any remaining celery plants left in the soil by covering with straw or fleece.
  • Protect the tips of fig tree branches. They will carry future fruit and are very susceptible to frost. Cover with fleece.

Are you an Isle of Wight gardener with a question for Richard?

You can email him on richrydegardener@gmil.com

Isle of Wight County Press: Pyracantha.Pyracantha. (Image: Richard Wright)