Hi Tabicat. I have a Drimys aromatica in my garden on the East coast of Scotland. It survived the 2010/11 winter with just the tips damaged. I don't know if lanceolata is very different, it looks quite similar. Having said that, if you wanted to have it in a pot and bring it in for the winter why not? I do that with my passion flower and have done it with a lemon tree and also with an abutilon. I suppose it's a question of keeping it out of very hot, very dry conditions as far as possible and not shocking it too much when you move it outdoors/indoors. If it's border-line hardy and you can find a nice sheltered spot for it, why not try it outdoors all year....you could always fleece it in the cold spells :) Sorry, I'm not sure how different it is to L. aromatica, but someone else will know.

...just checked and it's frost hardy, so worth a try outdoors in a sheltered spot I would say. :) Lovely shrubs aren't they?

D. lanceolata is hardy to few degrees under, and once established will withstand anything our winters can throw at it. I've had one for years and have planted a few in gardens, and thus far I know on none which has failed. The narrower leaves than other species give it some protection, I think. W

I have a drimys lanceolata, planted in 2001, growing quite happily in my garden in Berkshire. It was entirely unaffected by the bad winter we had two years ago

Hi Andrewr, Worthy1 and KarenSusn 6

Thank you all for your very helpful responses - much encouraged now to buy a drimys lanceolata for my small garden on the Kent coast. The problem now is to find a local supplier!

Tabi - any decent Garden Centre should be happy to order one for you.

Plant Finder (on the RHS website) lists Madrona Nursery at Bethersden, The Potted Garden Nusrsery at Bearsted, Maidstone, and Starborough Nursery at Edenbridge as stockists, but I would ring them first to check before making a special journey.