Stunning Winter Containers

Wal Bourne creates stunning winter potted displays with carefully selected perennials. One of the best things you can do to cheer yourself up in the winter is to create your own container display and place it by the front door or balcony or well. - Used path or gate. I'm not talking about winter pansies and polyanthus, because they only last a few months. It's much better to use a collection of hardy perennials and shrubs. These can stay in your winter container for two or three years before being added to your garden borders, so they provide value for money.

Find your star plant and its supporting cast

Take yourself to a good local garden center and go in with an open mind, because you're looking for a star plant at the height of perfection. Get a trolley and select your main plant, which will be a beautiful evergreen. Once you've chosen your star star, browse the other plants, add them to your trolley, and arrange them

as you go. Make sure they go together, and it’s important to keep it green because it will be with you for months. Create a composition using a variety of shapes – from intricate ferns, to swirling grasses, to ovals, shawls and pretty rosettes. It’s a bit like pick and mix at this point and you’ll need five to seven plants in a large container.

Figure out your colour theme

Your star plant will define your colour theme. Slow-growing evergreen skimmias are a hit in winter, but they vary in tone. Skimmia japonica reevesiana, for example, has large bright red berries.

‘Rubella’ has long-lasting wine-red domes of buds and ‘Kew Green’ has lime-green buds. If you’re going for red berries or wine-red flowers, you’ll need one or two plants with a toning colour. These include dark-leaved heucheras like 'Forever Purple' or wine-red euphorbias like Euphorbia 'Miner's Merlot'.

If you choose light-green skimmia buds, try to echo that color with light-green carrion, like 'Frosted Curls'. Don't make the whole thing light-green or purple-red, though. You'll also need contrast. Dark-reddish purples look great with silver leaves, and you can use a heuchera with veins like 'Silver Scrolls.' Some silver-colored heucheras have red or maroon veins, and there's one called 'Green Spice.' You can also choose an osmanthus, which usually has colorful holly-like foliage. If your lead plant is variegated, you'll need plenty of plain leaves to frame it. The contrast also varies between cool-toned, silvery-green to warm and sunny green-gold. The cool contrast goes with cool pinks and mauves, so you can add a purple winter-blooming Neem. The yellow and gold variations are fresher, but it brightens shady areas and blends well with rich-green leaves and yellow or blue flowers. The choice is yours, and it’s fun to choose plants that you like!

1. Sarcococca spp.

Clean and sophisticated foliage, with plain-green leaves and ivory-white flowers with downward-facing stamens. Long-lasting fragrance.

2. Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Koshiki’

A small evergreen with heavily splattered cream and green leaves. New growth is a beautiful red-orange.

3. Skimmia japonica

Male forms produce cone-shaped buds that provide months of winter interest. ‘Fragrant Cloud’ has luxurious dark-green foliage and light green buds. Lots of new ones available at garden centers.