Winter Gardens
As the days get shorter and the summer sun fades, our gardens often look dull! Colour in the colder months can be achieved in your garden with a mix of berries and fruit, grasses, leaf and stem colour as well as winter flowers.
WINTER FLOWERS
Mahonias, Hamamelis (witch hazel) and winter Heathers flower throughout the cold months. The beautifully delicate Helleborus niger (Christmas rose) is a must and we love winter Pansies, Primulas, Violas and Cyclamen for instant colour.
berries and fruit
We love Skimmia, Pernettya, Cotoneaster, Pyracantha, Holly and Malus (crab apple). Including these berried plants in your garden means you’ll also be providing a food supply for visiting birds.
leaf and stem colour
Intense leaf colour will make an impact so opt for Berberis, Eucalyptus, Heucheras and Euonymous alatas or the striking foliage of the Japanese Maples (acers). Cornus (dogwoods), Salix (willow), Robinia and contorted hazels all have striking stems or bark.
Team Tong’s Winter Favourites
MAHONIAS
An impressive winter flowering shrub with glossy evergreen leaves that produces masses of yellow flowers from November through to March. Although slow growing, they need very little care once planted.
PERNETTYA
A magnificent evergreen shrub with an abundance of distinctive berries in the winter months. They’re happy in pots as well as your borders, preferring partial shade and acidic soil so dig in some ericaceous compost when planting. Great for attracting wildlife to your garden.
CORNUS
Commonly known as dogwoods, they deliver all-year-round value from foliage, flowers and berries but are most renowned for their fiery coloured bracts and stems in winter. They are best planted in a sunny spot in damp soil. Look for cultivars of Cornus Alba for vivid winter stem colour.
HARDY CYCLAMEN
A true winter-flowering plant! Hardy cyclamen are low maintenance and will self-seed over the years to give you a carpet of pretty colours throughout winter. They will thrive even in dry shade at the foot of trees. To create a woodland theme, plant alongside winter Aconites and Snowdrops.
