Solution of the month

Q What can I plant in winter pots, in chilly Glasgow? JAMES HUTCHINSON, GLASGOW

A It’s a good idea to plant pots and baskets for autumn, winter and spring as soon as you can, so they get established before the cold weather sets in. Garden centres are full of plants for autumn colour and cyclamen are delightful, but they’re unlikely to last into spring. Small evergreen shrubs such as Skimmia japonica or Euonymus fortunei would be suitable, along with ivy and low groundcover such as vinca and ajuga, but the mainstay should be brighter violas and pansies, which will bloom all winter in mild weather and then come into their own in spring.