Gardening in Winter

Winter is one of the hardest times to plant beautiful gardens for your pleasure and for produce to grow. Some flowers that can last the long, cold and harsh winter can be appealing to look at and easy to plant. In this article, there will be tips, ideas and suggestions for your winter garden.

Pansies are a steadfast option in winter displays; pansy plants are so versatile and will bloom far longer than any other winter flowering bedding plant. From autumn through to spring, pansies provide a welcome splash of colour in beds, borders, containers, window boxes and hanging baskets. Available in many colours, including white, purple, blue, red, orange and yellow, you can grow winter-flowering pansies in a sunny or partially shaded position and make sure to cut off dead heads regularly for continuous flowering.

Primroses are a well-loved cottage garden bedding plant. Modern breeding has given us a plethora of new colours, sizes and quicker-flowering plants. No longer flowering for a brief period in spring, modern varieties such as Primrose 'World's Most Scented Mix' start producing their rosettes of flowers from mid-winter onward in a host of bright colours. Try this hardy perennial plant in beds, borders, window boxes and containers to add sparkle to your garden on dull winter days.

Compact and bright, polyanthus plants differ slightly to primroses in that the flowers are produced in clusters atop short, sturdy stems. As colourful as their cousins and with long-lasting flowers, polyanthus are superb winter plants for beds, borders, window boxes and containers.

Stock is a well-known bedding plant for winter; these neat, upright flowers produce large, ruffled, strongly-fragrant spikes from mid-spring through to mid-summer. Stock plants burst into life as the weather warms in spring and they make a real impact when planted in large drifts through beds and borders, or in containers on the patio. Available in an array of pretty pastel colours, stock flowers are fantastic for cutting and will fill your house with a delicious sweet fragrance for up to a week.

About the Author

Hannah Goldschlager is a twelve year old writing enthusiast who favours eating over schoolwork. She goes to Helena College Senior School and is in Year 8. She enjoys reading, talking to her plants and dog and collecting gemstones. Her favourite subjects are English and Science.