Can someone tell me what these new plants are?

Renata Boyle

Hi

Bought these today from Lidl, was hoping they were lambs ears as they are soft and furry but all it says on the label is 'bedding plants', will they need potting up into next size up or can they go straight into a large pot/rockery?

I'm assuming they are 'winter' plants as Lidl usually sell seasonal stuff - ANY info would be appreciated, although if someone can identify them I can look them up myself.

Many thanks

  

fidgetbones

Cineraria silver dust. Not as hardy as you might think for winter bedding plants. They are usually used for summer bedding. RHS calls them half hardy perennials , usually used as annuals. They may be ok in a sheltered spot.

Papi Jo

Senecio cineraria - Silver ragwort 'Silver Dust'? I would never buy a plant with such a vague label. But of course Lidl is not a plant specialist!

Renata Boyle

thanks guys - all Lidl's plants have vague labels and usually I know what I'm buying and their stuff is pretty hardy, oh well, at least I only paid £1.69 for six plants ..... I really need to figure out what the difference between a perennial and an annual .... does perennial mean persistent?  Annual just lasts for a year or comes back every year?

I still don't know what the term 'bedding plant' means, is that just an umberella term for plants that you put in borders?

Fairygirl

Hi Renata - perennial means it comes back every year after being dormant over winter. A bit like me  

Annual is the one that flowers and sets seed all in one year. So - things like petunias, sweet peas etc that you use as 'bedding plants' for baskets and pots for the summer. Biennials do that over a couple of years - they form a base of foliage and flower the following year - foxgloves for instance

Those ones you've got won't last over winter unless you're in a very mild area as fidget  says. A frost or two will see them off unfortunately. 

Andy Leeds

I planted some of these about this time last year in a raised bed as jumbo plug plants.  Pulled up the lot a couple of weeks ago as they were all two feet wide and tall.  Don't think I have any pics though...

So mine weren't that winter susceptible - ok it wasn't a really bad winter, but it was still 'up north'.

Give 'em a go, you never know ?.

Andy Leeds

Just had a look myself on rhs site, says hardy through most of the U.K. (-10 to -5).  So think you'll be ok.

It seems I dont have a subtropical microclimate in my back garden after all ??

Papi Jo

@Renata,

to complement Fairygirl's explanations...

For "bedding plants" see this excellent explanation page on the RHS site: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=640

"does perennial mean persistent?" Not exactly. A perennial plant will live for more than two growing seasons and will completely die back in the winter, while its roots remain persistent.

to complement Andy Leeds's reply...

I planted 3 specimens of Senecio cineraria - Silver ragwort 'Silver Dust' in May 2015. They grew reasonably well except for one specimen which died in the summer. I made a couple of cuttings in the autumn. The 2 specimens survived the winter and I planted one cutting in the spring. All 3 specimens have grown very well. Just in case the forthcoming winter is frosty I have made half-a-dozen cuttings to plant out next year. As Andy wrote, last winter was quite mild where I live (Brittany).

I am finding this a very decorative plant. I remove all the (yellow) flowers as soon as they appear, as I only want the light-grey silvery foliage effect.

Cuttings

General view