they can be hardy. The ones sold as winter bedding tend not to be as hardy has C hederifolium but these are well worth hanging on to. I have several in a cool conservatory and treat them as house plants. They have been on the go for 15 yrs. There are also some in the more sheltered parts of the garden under shrubs that survived for about 6 yrs before a particularly wet & cold winter.

the C hederifolium are fully hardy and slowly spread their seeds through the garden.

move them to a sheltered spot or in an unheated coldframe/greenhouse/porch/conservatory. Water sparingly and come the spring let them die back. then repot in fresh compost. I usually start watering ones allowed to go dormant in august when they reflower Sept/oct onwards.

hope this helps Sunbeam.

Thank you very much -would the place in the photo be worth trying ? I’ve not got anywhere else that seems suitable. Or could I just plant some of them under shrubs as well and take a chance ?

personally I'd plant them out in a sheltered place, they are less likely to freeze. under shrubs is ideal.

Thank you very much - we’ve got very hard frost today so will have to wait!

As Seaburngirl suggests they should be fine in the shelter of some shrubs but I have mine in pots and bring them into a sheltered greenhouse in November. Some survive and some die off.