PLANT OF THE WEEK

WHITE-FLOWERING PANSIES

These floral delights are some of the brightest and most reliable of plants for growing in tubs during the “off” season. Most years – given regular deadheading – they’ll flower from now until next spring.

The best varieties are sold individually in small pots. Plant them in tubs filled with multipurpose compost, spacing them about four inches apart, and water in lightly. They’ll do best in containers at ground level in a sheltered spot, but raise them up on bricks or pot feet to improve the drainage.

If there’s a prolonged cold spell they’ll often stop flowering for a while.

Given a cut back to tidy them up, and a dose of liquid feed, they’ll stage a comeback and keep flowering well into June, saving you the cost of replacing them with spring bedding.