Suggestions for winter colour please?

world cup

I'm looking for ideas for plants for window boxes/ planters to give winter colour.
My hope is to plant some miniature spring bulbs too, but wld like some colour until then if possible.

Any suggestions would be MOST welcome...!

looksee

Winter heathers are the most obvious choice. Pansies will flower through most of the winter, though they need dead-heading and are -imo - best used until they have finished flowering then replace them. Small cyclamen flower during the autumn/winter too.

Euonymous in green and gold also green and white are easy small shrubs with evergreen colour. Choisia are light green and skimmia japonica has red flashes to provide colour. If you are in a mild area abelia has pinkish flowers and delicate leaves in summer, then long lasting pink calyxes that add colour well into the winter.

Sarcococca has white scented winter flowers, glossy leaves, a bit inconspicuous but the scent is lovely.

One of the prunus flowers in winter, though I can't just remember its proper name.

Dark red-leafed berberis is attractive and has flowers and berries.

Holly is obvious, a bit slow but a lovely tree, especially if you get a variagated one (Golden King is the female which will have berries, Silver Queen is perversely the male tree).

There is also a very attractive bulb that has tallish spikes of flowers - bright pink - in the winter, very striking, I had one for ages then lost it, I don't know its name, anyone?

Edit - the Prunus is Autumnalis, or just winter flowering cherry

bmaxi

looksee wrote: »

There is also a very attractive bulb that has tallish spikes of flowers - bright pink - in the winter, very striking, I had one for ages then lost it, I don't know its name, anyone?

Edit - the Prunus is Autumnalis, or just winter flowering cherry

Kaffir Lily "Viscountess Byng", perhaps?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40325561@N04/8720759119/

pwurple

Nerine bowdenii I'd guess? Stunning plant.

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=1327


For winter planters, I'd go for form and texture. So some evergreen trailers like ivy, some sarcocca in dark glossy green, and maybe something spiky like a grass. If your pot is very large, maybe something very striking looking like a witch hazel would be interesting? They come in yellow, red, and orange and are intensely fragrant.

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=3025

Sonnenblumen

Nerines are excellent. Other favourites include Hellobores (lots of choice) and for something different Dwarf Skimmia (Magic Marlot) or Pieris little Heath or Leucothe Ruby Lips, Heuchera etc

There's actually much more than you might think.

Also for smaller planters ornamental grasses + sedges can produce interesting displays and the smaller types also work very well with bulbs.

Take a look at Fescularia and why not Houseleeks (Sempervirens) for stunning miniature displays?

looksee

bmaxi wrote: »

Kaffir Lily "Viscountess Byng", perhaps?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40325561@N04/8720759119/

Thats the one! thank you, shall get some more of those

paddy147

Hellebores are nice and will give nice colour for a good few months.


Also some nice Pachyphragama Macrophylla.
This is a low growing evergreen plant that has lovely white flowers on it.The flower lasts around 3-4 months from late winter onwards

For some late autumn/early winter colour......try some Anenome plants.

I love white Anenome and we have several of them dotted around our garden

paddy147

looksee wrote: »

Winter heathers are the most obvious choice. Pansies will flower through most of the winter, though they need dead-heading and are -imo - best used until they have finished flowering then replace them. Small cyclamen flower during the autumn/winter too.

Euonymous in green and gold also green and white are easy small shrubs with evergreen colour. Choisia are light green and skimmia japonica has red flashes to provide colour. If you are in a mild area abelia has pinkish flowers and delicate leaves in summer, then long lasting pink calyxes that add colour well into the winter.

Sarcococca has white scented winter flowers, glossy leaves, a bit inconspicuous but the scent is lovely.

One of the prunus flowers in winter, though I can't just remember its proper name.

Dark red-leafed berberis is attractive and has flowers and berries.

Holly is obvious, a bit slow but a lovely tree, especially if you get a variagated one (Golden King is the female which will have berries, Silver Queen is perversely the male tree).

There is also a very attractive bulb that has tallish spikes of flowers - bright pink - in the winter, very striking, I had one for ages then lost it, I don't know its name, anyone?

Edit - the Prunus is Autumnalis, or just winter flowering cherry

Ilex Nellie Stevens is beautifull and will have rich festive red berries on it.:)

Underplant the nellie stevens with some very low growing evergreen New Zealand Ferns and it makes for a very nice feature.The leaves turn to a nice orange/black/green colour in wintertime,so it makes for a nice sight/feature.