Winter Gardening – Evergreens and Hardy Plants

Gardening in winter can be restrictive but using a variety of container planting with shrubs and hardy, flowering plants is rewarding and easy to achieve, especially in climates similar to the British Isles and parts of Continental Europe.

For Winter Gardening – A Tub or Window Box, Potting Compost, and Hardy Plants or Evergreens

Garden centres abound with plenty of small shrubs that are ideal for the job. One of the great Irish garden writers and gardeners, Helen Dillon, suggests planting tulips in trash cans. (The trash cans are brand new, glimmering silver and pristine clean.) Being creative with the choices of tubs and window boxes is half the fun. Blue ceramic pots are a good choice for winter complementary colour schemes because blue seems to go with anything. Silver or pewter in large, rectangular-shaped pots with hints of white and silver, and an evergreen shrub looks elegant. Just add plenty of potting compost and flowering bulbs or hardy flowering plants.

Plant Small Evergreen Shrubs with Flowering Bulbs and Primulas

Evergreen shrubs planted with flowering bulbs like tulips and daffodils will last all through the winter. Accompanied by primrose flowers and colourful pansies the planting schemes will provide a carefree garden whether in a tub or container, except for occasional deadheading. The only downside to planting the small shrubs in tubs is that they will eventually outgrow their pots and will need to be replanted, but by then they’ll be perfectly happy to be positioned in herbaceous borders. Before filling the pots with compost you will need to put in some bulky material like polystyrene which will help avoid water logging during a wet winter. Or a few inches of pebbles or broken bits of pots will also serve to allow for good drainage. It’s worth putting the pots an inch above the ground so they are not sitting on the patio, and air can circulate. Garden centres sell little clay claws for this purpose, but nice round beach rocks will do just as well.

Here are some suggestions as to what to put into your pots.

• Single hardy plants like camellias are striking shrubs on their own. Their evergreen, glossy leaves look well even when the camellia flowers are not in bloom. There are many varieties of camellias. They need a bit of shelter and it is recommended not to plant them facing east as the morning sun can be too harsh after a freezing cold night. Also, most require acid soil. (A potted white camellia with a red bow makes a wonderful Christmas gift for the gardener who has everything.)
• Another winter flowering shrub that will do well on its own is choisya ternata, also known as ‘Mexican Orange’ because of the sweet, orange-scented white blossoms that appear. The lime green variety is quite stunning in the winter light.
• Purple phormiums look very well as a centrepiece in tub or in container planting. Their sword like stems give good shape and height and combine well with many flowering plants like primroses or pansies.
• Planting companions like the smaller carex grasses or a variegated hebe, a small holly shrub or an euonymus fortunei like ‘Emerald and Gold’, and an ivy plant would make a complete planting.
• For good cheer to the new year, a standard bay tree under-planted with white cyclamens makes welcome statement at a front door.

Container Planting with Boxwood and Pansies, Primulas and Flowering Bulbs

A mix of colour and shape is one approach to winter gardening. Successful container planting can be achieved by a visit to the nearest garden centre. Position a variety of shrubs and hardy plants in different groupings to choose the most appealing. Another idea is to simply stick to one colour scheme, like white or pink cyclamens, or blue pansies. Flowering plants, like primroses and pansies can be planted with a single upright evergreen conifer like a juniper or a thuja, or a boxwood, buxus sempervirens. Into any of the combinations can be added tulip bulbs or daffodil bulbs, bearing in mind the chosen colour scheme.

Planting tubs for winter gardening with hardy plants and evergreen shrubs, flowering bulbs and primulas is easy to do, and creates great welcome at the front door.