What to save and what to chuck

[OllyBJolly]

Nearly November and I still have a lot going on in the garden. I'm unsure what is perennial that I can leave, and what is annual and should be composted. I'm an enthusiastic but not very knowledgeable gardener!

Begonias - these came as corms as a freebie as part of a mail order and I have no idea how to care for them. They have been, and still are, spectacular.

Hibiscus - cheapies from Lidl. Still flowering and been abundant all summer.

Salvia - got a job lot of 7 different kinds from Hayloft Plants. Added late summer colour and good for cutting for indoors. I'd love to keep them for next year.

Osteospermums - covered in flowers just now. No idea if they are annuals/frost resistant/need lifting.

Any help gratefully received!

[shovetheholly]

Yep, gardengeek is right - and hibiscus/begonias depend on the variety asl well. There are both annual and hardy varieties of all of these! Can you remember the names? If you can, we can tell you with much more certainty! There might be more on order emails for things you've bought online.

A quick google suggests that the Hayloft Salvia collections tend to be hardy, e.g. www.hayloft-plants.co.uk/Salvia/Collection,12-different-varieties/prod7589.html

[OllyBJolly]

Thanks Gardengeek and shovetheholly . Unfortunately, I don't know the varieties.

Thanks for getting the info on the Salvias - I'll leave them in. Maybe I'll leave everything in and see what happens next year!

[shovetheholly]

At a guess, the hibiscus is probably hardy. You could take cuttings of the osteos and the begonias, just in case!

[PinkSwimGoggles]

the hibiscus - are they the tree kind (hard woody stem)? then leave. cut back hard in spring.