Today 
This colourful display of bronze-coloured foliage, orange flowers and the red berries of the skimmia will warm up any cold or dull winter's day. You can vary the colours with other varieties of phormium, heuchera and pansy if you prefer, but all will look good into the spring.
Plant it:
September
At its best:
November - March
Takes just:
30 minutes
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Position the container where you need winter interest, and place a layer of crocks at the bottom, then three-quarters fill with compost.
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Plant the phormium in the centre of the container, to the same depth in the new compost as it was in its previous pot. Encircle it with the skimmia and heuchera and evenly distribute the pansies around them. Position the ivies close to the front of the pot so that they can trail over the edge.
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Fill the container with compost, to within 5cm of the rim, firming around the plants with your fingers to squeeze out any air pockets. If you plan to keep the plants in the container for longer than size months, use a slow-release granular feed to nourish them.
"Choose a variety of pansy that's been bred to flower in winter and remove flowers as they fade so it will bloom until spring."
"To encourage the brightest-coloured dogwood stems, cut all the shoots back to a few buds from the base in late-winter."
