Winter Plants to Brighten up Your Patio

The season for barbecues and outdoor parties may be over, but that doesn’t mean that you should abandon your patio to the gathering piles of autumn leaves. Get out there with the broom and touch up that paving work. While you are there, take a look at some of the pots and planters that gave you such delightful flowers in the summer. There is no reason why you shouldn’t have some blooms to cheer you up in winter, and these winter plants can really brighten up your patio.

Heather

The purple hues of wild heather have been cultivated by gardeners so that you can grow varieties that produce flowers of blue, pink and even white. The winter flowering varieties are the taller, more upright heathers. They love acidic soil, so plant them in an ericaceous compost with other acid-loving winter bloomers such as pernettya.

Flaming Katy

This succulent from Madagascar can flower at any time of year. Plant in pots in a sheltered area of your patio and bring inside if the weather forecast predicts a frost. Keep away from pets as the Flaming Katy is poisonous to cats and dogs if ingested.

Ferns

Hardy evergreen ferns lend a touch of the Jurassic to any garden. These ancient plants keep their colour all year round and their overhanging branches can provide protection for other plants. Try planting hart’s tongue fern in a shady corner.

Bulbs

Spring might seem a long way off, but now is the time to get your bulbs in. Snowdrops are the first harbingers of springtime, closely followed by crocuses and daffodils – all grow from bulbs that lay dormant in the winter soil.

Need a hand turning your garden into a winter paradise? For landscaping advice and expertise, look no further than Knight’s Paving and Landscaping. Call us on 01603 360548 or drop us an email to enquiries@knightslandscaping.co.uk and one of our professionals will get back to you.