Winter colour
THE SEASON DOESN’T NEED TO BE IN DRAB BLACK AND WHITE. FILL YOUR GARDEN WITH VIBRANT SHADES AND HEADY SCENTS FOR A BRIGHTER NEW YEAR BUZZ
GARDENS don’t need to be bare and barren during the dormant season – there are plenty of plants to bring flowering interest into your green space and put a smile on your face.
Here are my top 10 favourite varieties to embellish your garden, all of which should be available at your local garden centre.
HEATHER
WINTER-FLOWERING heathers are one of those plants often overlooked but which can look really striking.
They add low-growing texture into beds and borders and look fantastic peppered in patio pots.
Often in the garden centre you’ll find them arranged into striking colour pallets; greens or pink, white and purple flowers all mixed together to add a pop of colour.
Hardy heathers are fairly low maintenance too, but my favourite thing about them is that they have interesting green foliage – so they’re an all-round winter win.
PANSIES
WINTER-FLOWERING pansies and violas are so cheery – they’re the gardener’s staple.
Pick bright purple, yellow and white ones and fill up your pots and window boxes over winter.
This flash of colour will look great planted into winter displays and will flare up quite well as long as they’re a hardy variety like the Viola tricolor.
They’re best kept in moist but well-drained soil, so in winter plant them in containers to enable you to move them out of wet weather.
DOGWOOD
OF COURSE, winter colour isn’t all about flowering interest. Cornus alba ‘Westonbirt’ (Siberian dogwood) is a small woody shrub with remarkably red bare stems that offer structural splendour during the winter.
Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’ can also offer beautiful yellow bark, as well as white flowers and fruits from spring to autumn so its ornamental offering will change as the seasons do. HELLEBORUS
THOUGH these are commonly known as the Christmas rose, don’t let their name fool you – they’ll flower right through to spring.
Helleborus niger is a cultivar that provides snowy whites and bright pinks, but H. Orientalis varieties will flower in white, green and even dark red for a true midwinter marvel.
LATE WINTER BULBS
CROCUS flowers and snowdrops are typically a sign that winter is fading and spring is on its way. Usually planted in bulb form during autumn, they can also be bought as pre-grown pot ones in late winter to flower in your own garden. Start the season off with these sited alongside winter-flowering crocuses and statement snowdrops, to keep your garden awash with colour right through the season.
CYCLAMEN
OUTDOOR cyclamen look beautiful as they’re a bit different. They’re breathtaking when planted, and great for borders, tubs and window boxes.
These winter heroes flower from autumn right through to spring with an upright posture and flag-like petals in pinks, purples and whites. There is a vast range of colours to suit any garden.
If you position them next to snowdrops and winter aconites, you’ll have the beginning of a winter woodland.
DAPHNE
IF FRAGRANCE is what you’re after, look no further. This shrub has it all, with both beautiful and intensely fragrant blooms.
Plant these near doorways, gates or paths and the smell just hits you as you walk past.
Site them where the soil is well-drained and ensure they are regularly watered during any period of drier conditions.
Also make sure you bring them into a more sheltered spot during heavy rain to avoid saturating the soil.
SARCOCOCCA
COMMONLY known as sweet box, it well and truly lives up to its reputation. The strong heady scent of Sarcococca is something to behold. It’s quite extraordinary that an aroma you can detect from across the garden is produced from tiny inconspicuous flowers in creamy white.
MAHONIA
MAHONIA shrubs are stunning evergreens, commonly known as barberry.
Their rich green leaves serve as the perfect backdrop to spires of bright yellow flowers with a delicate scent. In the spring, this shrub is covered in blue-black berries that birds love. And they’ll grow almost anywhere – even in shady parts of the garden.
VIBURNUM
THERE is a huge range of viburnum plants that work really well for a splash of winter colour.
Look for varieties such as V. tinus ‘Eve Price’, which flowers in winter, or a deciduous variety called Viburnum x bodnantense.
So there you have it – 10 plants that will bring wonderful colour to your winter garden.