Plants don’t grow much over winter, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be used to great effect in a pot. Winter containers can be vibrant with buds opening for flowering and bulbs emerging through foliage.
Try using hardy foliage plants, like heucheras and ivy, mixed with flowering pansies, cyclamen, heathers and spring bulbs.
Find out how to plant up a container using all these elements, below.
You Will Need
- Crocks
- Large terracotta pot
- Miniature cyclamen
- Spring bulbs
- Ivy plant
- Pansies
- Heuchera, We used 'Berry Smoothie'
- Heather plants
Step 1
Terracotta or ceramic pots keep compost on the dry side, so are ideal for avoiding winter rot. Fill with general-purpose compost.

Step 2
Use foliage plants as a background to enhance the colours of bright flowering cyclamen, and plant bulbs spaced beneath the leaves.

Step 3
Place the pot in position, water in well, then sparingly over winter. Deadhead pansies for a long-flowering display.
