Sorry but they won't survive winters....sow again next year in the spring and you'll have new plants

They are annuals so it will die at the end of the year. if it has good colour now cut the stem as long as possible and hang it upside down to dry. it will then last for several years as a dried flower.

Hi, do you know which species you have, there are about 500 ranging from annuals, herbaceous or evergreen perennials, to evergreen shrubs and sub shrubs, and from fully hardy to frost tender, the height you've given, suggests that you may have H splendidum, which is a compact, bushy, evergreen shrub, with white-wooly stems, with 3 veined, silver-grey leaves, and grows to about 4ft, if so, it's fully hardy, but I would suggest you wrap the pot in bubble wrap if we get a very cold winter, Derek.

Perhas it would help if you added a photo then?

thanks everyone for your kind answers but cant bring myself to cut the lovely flowers just yet I think I will wait for the first signs of winter and then cut them and bed the pot with straw and hopefully they may come back next year. what do you think ?

Hi, you have nothing to lose by doing what you say, if it's a perennial, it will come back next year, if it's an annual, it won't, either way you'll find out which you have, Derek.