Garden and Flowers

Because this small South African shrub cannot tolerate frost, it was cultivated as a container plant for some time. Currently, however, suppliers also offer it for sale both as a bedding and container plant because of its profusion of flowers in summer. Flowering plants are on sale from mid-April. For that purpose, cuttings are taken by specialist firms during the previous summer. The plant is supplied as a small shrub or as a cluster of branches on a stem, in which case cultivation will take much longer. Put the plant in a warm and sunny location in a border or in a large pot or other container. Leaving the potting compost to dry out completely will cause the buds and subsequently the leaves to wither. The plant may be kept throughout the winter in a light, frost-free, but cool position. Suppliers naturally hope that you will let it freeze to death and then buy a new one next spring!

An erect perennial sub-shrub, growing to 3-6 ft in height. The vegetative parts have a sparse covering of simple hairs. The stems are upright and branched. They are green or a purplish-reddish-brown, aging to a greyish-brown. They have a sparse covering of simple hairs.

The leaves are borne alternately (one per node), subtended by two stipules. They are simple, ovate, palmately veined, deeply 3-lobed, and toothed, with a truncate base, and are borne on petioles up to 1″ in length. They are up to 2½” in length and breadth, but can be much smaller. They bear simple hairs along the veins, on both faces, and ciliate hairs along the margin towards the base.

The petioles have a covering of hairs similar to that of the stems, but more prominent.