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Is this really an osteospermum?

Stephanie newish gardenerStephanie newish gardener Posts: 516
edited August 2023 in Plants
Me again...
I've admired these daisy-like flowers all summer. They come out pink and fade to white, and I thought they were quite short-stemmed.....until I cut back the overgrown heather today and found they go right back under it.
The neighbour gave me a plant label 'for that plant' which said osteospermum on it, but I'm not convinced. It looks not a lot like any I've had before, and it is hardy.
Anyway, whatever it is, if I let it continue flowering and then cut it back hard, will it come back next year in a reasonable size? 
All thoughts welcome as ever....
These are the flowers at the front of the border

And this is the base of it.....

And this is the whole thing, now minus a big chunk of heather, an ash tree and a sycamore, both of which were hiding there....

There is another daisy plant behind, which seems to be doing ok. The umbelliforous(?) things are possibly weeds that need catching before they seed.....
No longer newish but can't think of a new name so will remain forever newish.  B) 

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  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 4,307
    I would say that it is an Osteospernum, possibly jucundum
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    So would I.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • bcpathomebcpathome Posts: 1,313
    Yes osteospermum 
  • Stephanie newish gardenerStephanie newish gardener Posts: 516
    Thanks, I thought it couldn't be one because I've only seen ones with woody stems and they have all been tender and needed wintering in the greenhouse. This one is very definitely hardy, but not especially woody.
    I'll see if I can find the label and check the variety.
    No longer newish but can't think of a new name so will remain forever newish.  B) 

  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    That variety comes in three cultivars, the one which you have (and so do i), a white one and a deeper pinky/purple called Tresco. It's not entirely hardy but can cope with -5c here, staying evergreen. This year we had colder temperatures and it frosted some of the foliage back but you'd never know it now.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I had one that survived for many years. It's good to know the variety as I haven't been able to replace it as yet @thevictorian
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Stephanie newish gardenerStephanie newish gardener Posts: 516
    So I've rooted through a few plant labels and found two osteospermum ones: O Senoritas Linda and O Astra Purple. I've then Googled them and find that the leaves of both should be dark green, toothed and spoon shaped.
    Also the plants are described as compact, up to 30cm.
    The plant in the garden has pale green leaves with no real tooth shape to them and they are definitely not spoon shaped. While the plant sort of sits quite low, the stems are very long and trail across the border some distance before coming up with flowers, and that includes the bit that hasn't been buried under a heather. 
    The flowers also close up at certain times of the day, not always evening.
    So I'm a bit flummoxed. The flowers look like the label, but the rest of the plant looks nothing much like any osteospermum I found online.
    We had very cold temps here over the winter and it survived, including a period of snow.
    These are the leaves close up

    These are the stems, representative of the whole plant


    Might it just be that it's not the variety on the label?

    I also found labels in this bit of ground for verbena temari coral pink, but I'm confident it isn't that! 
    No longer newish but can't think of a new name so will remain forever newish.  B) 

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    I think it's been wrongly labelled,  l'm pretty sure it is O. Jucundum, that was my first thought on seeing the photos.
    There are photos of the leaves on this link.
    https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/osteospermum-jucundum/classid.3284/
  • Stephanie newish gardenerStephanie newish gardener Posts: 516
    AnniD said:
    I think it's been wrongly labelled,  l'm pretty sure it is O. Jucundum, that was my first thought on seeing the photos.
    There are photos of the leaves on this link.
    https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/osteospermum-jucundum/classid.3284/
    I think you're right, and the size in the description matches the size of this plant, plus it also mentions the flowers closing with the sun. And the colour is much more like the one I've got. 
    @Palustris said the same variety - I should have googled that one then! 
    Thank you  :)
    No longer newish but can't think of a new name so will remain forever newish.  B) 

  • plant pauperplant pauper Posts: 6,904
    @Stephanie newish gardener keep deadheading and it will flower for ages. Take it back to the next leaves. It also roots really easily in water if you want more. I love mine and it survived -7 here for over a week and negative temps for almost three. My neighbour lost some in pots but mine, also in a pot was tucked in against a south facing wall. 
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