They aren't very cold hardy at all, I had several in the ground here in Oakland hills of northern California that only saw light frost in winter of 2008 and were nearly killed, I suppose it only got down to 29F or so, as the nearby Canna 'Pretoria' were nearly unblemished, with just a few burned leaf tips. I'd suggest growing it in a container and moving it inside to a very sunny window for the winter. Aside from not liking winter freezing, they are very tough, adaptable plants that need little care. Probably only winter hardy right along the Alabama Gulf coast in a most protected spot. They do like heat and humidity, so on that count they should grow pretty quickly in your summer weather.

Flowerfairy, my Natal Plum is a little over 10 yrs old.
I don't know if it's location, but I find them slow-growing. Years ago, I grew an NP as a bonsai. It did better in a small pot. Flowered and produced fruit at a young age. My newer NP hasn't done either, and it's three time the size as the first plant, growing in a large pot. 6" pot. Don't overpot.

The NP I have now is wintered in a cool greenhouse.. Even though it's cool, NP doesn't grow any slower than my previous plant kept in the house.
NP is a sun lover. Although they like humidity, medium will suffice. Overwatering will kill NP, so use a well-draining soil, neutral pH, in a container with drainage.

Good luck, NP's are really nice plants. Toni

Thank you both for your re-ply.I think it's a beautiful plant and wanted to give it the best care possible.I have it in a hanging pot at the moment...well really is more than one plant...I put 5 seperate cuttings in the same pot.Guess the pot will be ok for awhile till it gets bigger...nice to know it's a slow grower too.Thanks again for the info.Hope you both have a blessed day.

Mine have been here since 1997 and I have lost a few of them from frost-they prefer to stay above freezing temps. I enjoy them for the lovely white star flowers-small but very fragrant. This is the first time I have seen fruit, because I've generally had them trimmed, either from a little frost damage or just for shaping. I was searching to see how/if I might best eat this tiny deep pink fruit.

I was on vacations this week at Mazatlan (México) and ate a few ripe fruits I collected from one of the many NP plants at my hotel gardens. Beautiful plants, but the fruit it's not sweet at all. I was planning on growing some at home but after tasting the fruit I ditched the idea. :(