As the seasons change it is time to remove summer flowers from patio pots and baskets. They are probably looking tired now anyway and it is a relief to get rid of them. Some plants can be saved for next year. If you have a greenhouse you can save fuchsias, pelargoniums and other plants. Other plants can be composted and the old compost put on the garden as a mulch.
You can then plant up your baskets and pots. You will need some fresh compost to fill the pots. If the pot is deep you do not have to replace all the compost, just the top 15cm or so but loosen the old compost and enrich it with some controlled-release fertiliser.
When it comes to plants, the choice is huge and Knights has a wide range.
I add lots of small shrubs and evergreens for instant effect. Remember that the plants will not grow much over winter so you need to fill the pots. Shrubs can be replanted in the garden in spring when you plant your summer plants. I like small phormiums, evergreen ferns and variegated carex, bushy nandina, pittosporum, hellebores, fragrant sarcococcas, leucothoe and, of course, skimmias.
In baskets you need something to trail over the sides and ivy is perfect for this although vincas are great too. Bushy plants for winter foliage colour include lamiums and ajuga. Don’t forget heucheras – available in an amazing array of colours.
You will want some flowers too and violas are the best option. They will bloom all winter, are fragrant, and there is a wide range of colours. Larger-flowered pansies will also bloom in winter but with fewer flowers and the blooms may be damaged by bad weather.
You can add cyclamen for a ‘bit of class’ but these will need replacing in early spring, perhaps with primroses. You can also include small chrysanthemums, colourful peppers and tender heathers but these will need replacing after a few months. I like to use hardy winter-flowering heathers too and these are perfect to add to the garden in spring.
Planting your winter pots is a great way to be creative and bring colour close to the home for the colder months of the year when you may not want to trudge around the soggy lawn. It is fun and need not be expensive. Get your pots planted now.