Which Osteospurmum trails?

My daughter lives on Jersey and lots of Jersey gardens have festoons of Osteospurmum trailing down banks. She wants to plant some in her garden.

I have never seen a trailing osteo for sale so which type do you think they plant to give this trailing habit? The ones we have seen are white or purple.

Also if anyone has ideas for similar plants to plant in her hilly rockery we would be grateful. Its south facing.

Thanks in anticipation of replies.

 

Hi there,

I am growing one that trails, this is the first year for me with it, and its called the Trailing African Daisy.

 

Hi Letty and welcome to GC.

Osteospermums are very popular here also and thrive where nothing else will.

Penny is quite correct that it is commonly called the Trailing African Daisy (Ostespermum fruticosum). It grows up to 12 inches tall and can easily spread four to six feet in width, hence the love of it for trailing down unsightly, rocky banks.

As you say, they are commonly purple and white ... here are a couple of photos I took of mine last week ....





Now these little beauties started off by 6-8 inch cuttings ... and I have to cut them back each year to keep them compact as I have a small garden and let these trail across the patio across the front of my house.

There is now a lovely vibrant orange one available and a pink one and an insipid peachy-coloured one ... but they do not trail as the purple and white varieties do and they bloom later and for a shorter period of time.

You asked for similar plants .... I can recommend the Hottentot Fig (Carpobrotus edulis and Carpobrotus acinaciformis) which is also a quite rampant plant here ...



Another I have is the Aptenia cordifolia, which is only about two inches high but indeterminate in length (can be 20 feet) and has lovely tiny succulent leaves ...



Perhaps others will come up with different suggestions for your daughter.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the forum.

 

I have a couple of hardy Osteos, one white one pink.
They have been hardy even this year with minus 10, both grow low and trail across the ground rooting as they go.
Good plants for growing down banks and different from the tender bedding types sold in spring.

One is this http://www.deeproot.co.uk/pbo/plantdetail.php?plantname=Osteospermum 'Lady Leitrim'

The pink one that I have, I have lost the name.

Lamprathus could be another good plant for such places, as long as it not cold for long in the winter.

 

Evening, pete ...

Actually didn't think about Lampranthus and I have many colours of it ... in fact, the purple has just come into bloom. However, I must say it's a straggly plant and I cut it back to the base each year. It does, like Osteo, root easily as it touches the ground but it's a 'coarse' plant and in my opinion only pretty for a limited period of time .... but certainly another good suggestion.

 

I cant grow it here, only in pots but I have seen it in coastal gardens and the colours are amazing if kept compact.

Just thought of another one, Delospermum cooperi, a good trailer and hardy.

 

Thanks to all for the advice - we will now know to ask specifically for Osteospermum Fruticosum.
Thanks also to Victoria for the lovely photos - they look like Jersey (Channel Islands) gardens in August! I can't believe they look like that already- even in Portugal. In Suffolk we are just getting used to the daffodils and other early spring bulbs.
I am ashamed to say that I have never heard of the plants that Victoria and Peter have suggested. I will now have a lovely time looking them up on the RHS website.
Thanks again to all of you,
PS. I must also look up the latin origin of Osteospermum as the prefix sounds as though it refers to bone???

 

Those are gprgeous pictures Victoria~~!!!

 

Another option if she wants the same plant in her garden is to take cuttings which regularly root well:gnthb: