Get smashing autumn windows

IMPROVE the view from your fireside seat in an instant with wonderful window boxes.

They also give the front of your home a welcoming look, with plants that can last through the cold months.

To plant like a pro, use Miracle cyclamen, which are miniature forms of the florists’ variety. They come in white and shades of pink and red.

For a modern look, combine with black grass Ophiopogon Nigrescens or the blue trumpets of autumn gentians. They will last until the end of October if given well-draining, damp, lime-free compost and sunlight.

They also go well with late summerflowering heathers. And for longlasting effects, choose bud heathers or Calluna vulgaris varieties that have good leaf colour. Blazeaway has gold summer foliage that turns orange in winter.

For a natural look, combine with naked ladies or colchicums, which come in shades of pink and white, and with double flowers similar to a water lily.

A winter must-have is the large, blotched flowers of universal pansies, which make a pretty display with trailing ivy.

They look stunning next to ornamental cabbages in shades of pink and red as well as white.

If you have room, plant pot mums. These come in a kaleidoscope of colours and last for six to eight weeks. Make sure boxes are fixed into place with brackets secured into the brickwork and not the mortar.

And if your windows open outwards, take care to site boxes low enough so you can still open them.

Lighten the load by filling the base of each box with broken polystyrene plant trays and mix in Perlite to the compost to soak up excess moisture.

Arrange plants in a symmetrical design and match all the planters.

Put the back row of plants in first, making sure they do not block the view from the window. Step down the height in the front of the box, angling plants forward slightly. Add trailing plants that hang prettily over the edge.

You do not need to leave room around plants as there won’t be much growth. Mulch the top of the soil with coloured gravel to reduce water loss and discourage slugs and snails.