Creating Beautiful Winter Containers.

Creating Beautiful Winter Containers.

Darker days as nights draw in and cooler weather arrives leads many to treat winter as the forgotten season in the garden.

However, instead of abandoning our gardens until next spring, now is the perfect time to start creating beautiful winter containers.

Pots filled with colourful or scented winter-interest plants provide mood-lifting cheer during the darker months. They are easy to create and require minimum maintenance.  And you can get started right away!

Planting your containers before the end of the growing season allows the plants time to get established before the winter weather arrives.

The Practical Bit.

1) Choose An Appropriate Container.

Containers come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and materials.

Any planter used for winter planting should be able to withstand low temperatures. This is especially true for terracotta, ceramic, and composite containers, which should be ‘frost-resistant’.

Wooden containers such as half barrels and square planters offer greater protection to delicate plant roots as temperatures plummet. But they need a plastic liner inside to prevent the wood from quickly rotting. Also, always raise wooden containers from the ground to help prevent them rotting.

Plastic containers come in a wide range of shapes and sizes and are affordable. Look for plastic pots made from recycled material.

Any container you choose needs to have at least one drainage hole in the base. Without good drainage the container will fill with water and your plants will rot.

Expert Tip: Group your pots.

Single pots lack impact. If you group your pots you will find they begin to form a display that makes them seem much more impressive than isolated pots. Place the large pots, especially those with evergreen shrubs at the back of your display, and the smaller pots with flowering winter bedding at the front. This style of arrangement will make the pots a focal point in your winter garden.

2) Use Fresh Potting Compost.

If you are re-using an old container do not keep the same soil. Empty the container out and wash it before refilling with fresh compost. This is important because the old compost will lack elements and nutrients needed for healthy growth. In addition, harmful salts may have accumulated in the old compost, and it may also harbour pests and diseases.

Before buying your compost, check what sort of soil you need. For example, if you are planting Calluna heather or Gaultheria then you will need an ericaceous compost. However, if you want to grow winter and spring flowering heathers, Erica carnea and Erica x darleyensis, then they will be fine in a multipurpose compose.

A general multipurpose compost or a John Innes No 3 compost are both suitable for most winter container plants. I like to mix in a quarter (by volume) of horticultural grit to any compost I use to improve drainage.

Expert Tip: Arrange your plants in the container before planting them, to see how best to place them.

After planting, firm the compost around the plants to ensure they are well planted.

Finally, after planting up, add a dressing (mulch) to the top of the compost. This could be grit, gravel, bark, or pebbles. This top layer not only gives the pot a professional finish, but it prevents the soil from dirtying the plant and pot during watering or heavy rain. It also helps cut water loss by evaporation and stops weed seeds from germinating.  Now water your new planter well to settle to plants.

Top Tip: Raise your pots on pot-feet or bricks to keep the drainage holes clear and ensure good drainage.

3) The Plants.

1. a) The key to beautiful winter containers is generous planting. Don’t worry about putting plants close together because they will grow much more slowly in winter, and they will have plenty of new compost to utilize.
2. b) For year-round interest think about investing in small evergreen shrubs and conifers.

Pinus mugo, the dwarf mountain pine is a particular favourite of mine for a large container. Its long, dark green needles and small woody cones evoke the high alps.

Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Goldcrest Wilma’, the lemon scented Monterey Cypress is a small growing, conical conifer that provides height and colour to any planter.

Shrubs such as Skimmia, Euonymus, Leucothoe, and Ilex provide structure and evergreen foliage for winter containers. Fragrant Sarcococca (Christmas box) adds both attractive foliage, and an intense fragrance from its tiny flowers. Viburnum tinus is another winter flowering shrub that does well in containers.

Evergreen ferns, sedges and grasses are also suitable for growing in winter containers.  Don’t forget small-leaved ivy make excellent ‘spillers’ for any pot. Plant ivy near to the pot rim so it tumbles over the side of the container.

Expert Tip: Leave space around small trees and shrubs to plant a few small spring bulbs such as crocuses or Narcissus ‘Tête-à-tête’ for a splash of spring colour.

For more information about planting bulbs in containers:

https://www.capitalgardens.co.uk/blog/spring-awakening-bulbs-in-containers/

1. c) Cheer and colour. When you visit your local Capital Gardens centre you will find plenty of plants to inspire your creativity.

My top five choices for winter colour are:

1) Winter flowering heathers. These come in shades of white, pink and purple. Delicate looking yet sturdy, these are reliable winter performers.

2) Violas and pansies. Whether you prefer the small blooms of violas or the large faces of pansies, these brightly coloured flowers come in many colours and tones. Both violas and pansies require regular deadheading, but if you look after them they will flower for months. Panola Series winter flowering pansies are a very reliable strain.

3) Ornamental cabbages. Flowers aren’t the only source of winter colour. These brassicas have interesting white, pink and purple foliage that can brighten up the dullest of days.

Top Tip: Ornamental cabbages need very good drainage.

4) Gaultheria (also known as Pernettya). This small shrub has delicate green leaves that help show off its colourful berries. The berries can be white, pink and red. This small shrub must have ericaceous compost.

5) Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’. With its inky-black grass-like leaves Ophiopogon adds depth and richness to any display. The black foliage is a great foil to white flowers and silver foliage.

To learn more about plants for winter containers, and our 30 minute winter planter challenge, visit:

https://www.capitalgardens.co.uk/blog/take-our-30-minute-winter-colour-planter-challenge/

Hellebores make stunning flowering plants for winter containers. To learn about growing hellebores in containers:

https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/four-hellebore-container-ideas-to-try/

Finally, move beyond the basic. Thinking about how you use colour. Instead of a smorgasbord of colour, perhaps go for a theme. Pinks and purples give a tasteful look, or whites, silvers and greens for a sophisticated Sissinghurst feel.

In Conclusion:

In winter, bare containers with the skeletal remains of summer bedding look off-putting and emphasize the bleakness of winter. Even if you empty the summer containers and store them out of sight you will still be left with voids in your garden.

Replacing summer bedding with winter colour extends the gardening year and brings hope and pleasure to you and your family during the darker months.

Winter containers are easy to care for. They will only need occasional watering when they get dry. The plants will not need any feeding over winter.  In very cold weather you can easily protect your containers with a temporary covering of horticultural fleece.

Container displays are a great way to introduce colour into the winter garden. Planting up your winter containers now will give the plants time to get established before the first frosts arrive.  So why not create your own beautiful winter planters?