TOUGH GUYS
Have you got a big container? If so, then a couple of pansies and a few crocuses will not really do the trick. You need something beefy and muscular: there will still be room for a scattering of spring bulbs but, primarily, you need plants with strong form and hefty leaves.
Corokia x virgata ‘Sunsplash’
The wire-netting bush (not the most romantic plant name). Good as a hedge or in a container. Tolerant of hard pruning. HxS 1.8m x 1.2m
Bergenia ‘Bressingham Ruby’
AKA elephants’ ears. Evergreen foliage changes from green to a dark, claretty red in winter.
H x S 35cm x 40cm
Euonymus ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’
A good, reliable hardy shrub for borders, containers and even against a wall. Propagate from summer cuttings. 90cm x 60m