OUTDOORS

Arriving home at dusk after a wintry working day, pots of brightly coloured flowers make a welcoming scene at the front door. A flower filled patio (or just a simple bowl of freshly potted colour on an outdoor table) will draw us out into the fresh air on the weekend, even if the sun is slow to shine.

Growing plants in pots is even easier in winter than it is in summer because in winter they take a lot less watering. Now is the time to make use of those shallow pots and troughs that tend to dry out in summer. A pot filled with container mix is warmer

and drier than a soggy garden border, a much more hospitable environment for young plants.

Here we list some of the all time classic winter flowering annuals. You can grow them from seed, or purchase as small seedlings in punnets, but in winter ‘potted colour’ is arguably the very best way to go. These fully grown seedlings give instant enjoyment and keep flowering throughout winter and spring. In colder weather seedlings are slower to grow, but potted colour plants come with strong, well-established roots better able to cope with transplanting and low temperatures than tiny seedlings. Because they are grown in individual pots, their roots are less likely to be damaged when you move them from their nursery pot. Best of all, you can pick out exactly the colours you want!