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Winter flowers?
skankinpickle
Posts: 119
Hi.
I am looking for something that will brighten the garden up in winter (and also provide some winter nectar).
Any ideas which kind of seeds I should be looking for. How did your own winter flowering attempts go (it would be great if you could post photos).
In my initial search "pansies" seem to be coming up a lot.
For clarity I can plant in the garden, borders and also have a shallow rockery that needs desperately brightening up.
Thanks.
0
Posts
You can buy ready planted bulbs etc for sticking into pots for some late winter colour, or you might get cyclamen , but not all of the latter are outdoor hardy plants, so you'd need to be sure of what you're buying.
Can you load some photos of the area you want to plant up, and info about the site - aspect , climate, other surrounding planting/fences/buildings etc.
That will enable us to offer viable suggestions
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
https://www.craigiehallnursery.co.uk/ourshop/
Lots of other plants can suit rockeries too, but your soil type will be a factor, as well as the size of the site.
As to other areas, there are hundreds of plants, although not so many for the middle of winter, so you'd really need to narrow it down, as to your conditions, and the kind of plants you're wanting to put in. Shrubs? Perennials? Trees? The type of soil you have is also a factor, because some will need alkaline, some may need acid, and some may not be fussy. Daphnes are good for winter if you have suitable conditions, Sarcococca is winter flowering, and things like Hamamaelis [Witch hazel] might suit if you have room
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/popular/witch-hazel/growing-guide
Cotoneasters have berries, if the birds don't eat them all by mid November, so they can be useful, as can other berrying shrubs and trees - Mahonia, Rowan and Berberis etc.
Some winter flowering clematis might suit. Look at specialist sites like Taylors, Thorncroft, Peter Beales etc.
Most bulbs will be fine potted up in most areas of the UK without any problem.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I think you could look at some herbaceous perennials, those that have a long flowering season which go on producing flowers until the first frosts, maybe some of the guaras and that old favourite Verbena bonariensis which I've known to flower in December. Not the bleak mid winter you're hoping to find flowers for though. Nothing much really flowers in the coldest, frostiest, snowy times.
A plant I really value is Teucrium fruticans. It's not well known and needs light soil. It flowers in almost every month. Bumblebees come to mine in January on mild days. It's a grey shrub with blue/light purple flowers and I grow it in my 'Mediterranean' bed which is a well drained special bed I've made in my Sussex garden. Look it up; it may be just what you're looking for.