Add Some Colour With Cool Containers

Nothing lifts flagging spirits quite like a perfectly positioned pot that’s filled with evergreens and winter flowers. Hazel Sillver conjurs up some ideas to inspire…

- Hazel Sillver

AS autumn morphs into winter, we all need something bright and cheerful to counteract the endless grey skies. So, presenting colourful containers filled with winter bedding. Plant up pots of flowers, foliage and berries, and huddle them around the front door – they’ll put a smile on your face as you arrive home, and create a colourful welcome for guests. Where space in limited, opt for winter bedding plants that flower non-stop for months. Pansies and violas are available in a range of colours, and bloom reliably in sun or semi-shade. If you’ve got more room – or large pots – go for bulbs or corms, which can be layered to create a succession of interest. Use late winter bloomers such as Iris reticulata, crocus, snowdrops and Narcissus ‘Tête-à-tête’ to create the top layer, followed by early spring bulbs (try Narcissus ‘Thalia’) in the middle and late spring bulbs (such as Tulipa ‘Queen of Night’) at the bottom.

Planting heather, hellebores, crocuses, mahonia or snowdrops in your pots will not only ensure they look lovely, it will also provide essential nectar for winter-foraging bees. And be sure to include some scented flowers that will create a cloud of perfume around the front door – the honey-fragranced blooms of compact evergreen sweet box (Sarcococca), for instance.

Don’t forget foliage

Evergreens and wintergreens are also essential weapons in your arsenal. Mixing the different colours, textures and shapes of their leaves will help you create an impressive display.