Winter bedding brings color to your garden when you need it most
Image: Bellis perennis ‘Rose’ from T&M
Winter bedding is an easy way to bring some color into your garden during the coldest months of the year. With so many vibrant colors and shapes, these hardy plants are sure to cheer you up, even on short days. Check out these top tips and tricks from expert bloggers, Instagrammers, and YouTube gardeners to fill your outdoor space with modern, colorful, and creative displays.
For more ideas, check out our full selection of quality winter bedding plants.
Bring your hanging baskets to life by choosing a seasonal color theme
Gently leafing bedding plants like heucherella are perfect for year-round hanging baskets.
Image: Heucherella ‘Trailing Yellowstone Falls’ from T&M
Nick Wilson, garden and nature writer for dogwooddays who contributes to the T&M blog, knows a thing or two about how to get the most out of hanging baskets in winter. Choose a seasonal color scheme like gold or silver as a starting point, she says, then select specific plants to bring the theme to life. Check out her full article for ideas on how to fill hanging baskets with attractive foliage, bright berries, and beautiful flowers.
Height play with winter hanging baskets
Increase interest level with winter hanging baskets
Image: @talkgardeningtome
Yorkshire-based gardener and Instagrammer Harriet of @talkgardeningtome uses heather to add eye-catching height to her winter hanging baskets. Delicate red flowers rising in bright bubbles of festive color create a wonderful contrast with the deep purple pansies. I also love the hanging ivy! Follow Harriet for the latest information on growing fruits, flowers, and vegetables.
Try white and silver for an elegant winter window box
Leaf color and texture are also important for winter displays.
Image: @suesimpsonfennell
Sue Simpson Fennell replaces her summer window boxes in October. Opting for interesting textures over color, this expert gardener keeps the display fresh by replanting boxes with winter bedding such as cyclamen, heather and pansies in a dreamy combination of whites and silvers. She also adds a wonderful cloudy leaf Senecio. Check out her amazing garden at @suesimpsonfennell for a wealth of inspiration.
Create a colorful focal point that can be enjoyed from different areas of your home.
Deep pink pansies bring festive color to winter displays
Image: Viola hybrida ‘Rose Shades’ by Thompson & Morgan
Instagrammer Stina (aka @thehackneygardener) uses dark red pansies and a few ivy buds to create a gorgeous focal point on her sleeping winter garden table. For an extra bit of magic, she fills a jam jar with a tea light and places it in the center of the display. It’s clearly visible from its cozy indoor space, and I feel refreshed every time I pass by. “I love looking at this from my window when it gets dark in the afternoon!” she says.
Combine winter shrubs and bedding plants for a sophisticated display
Adam lines his decorative terracotta pots to keep the potting mix moist
Image: Adam’s Gardening Guide
In Adam’s Gardening Guide, Adam has recipes for planting great winter pots. Euphorbia ‘Ascot Rainbow’ provides height, evergreen Skimmia ‘Rubera’ has attractive evergreen foliage, Galtelia has glossy red berries and the perfect finishing touch is bright yellow viola, he says. I say. Watch his full video to get tons of great tips and take a peek at his amazing winter patio.
Add a handful of slow-release fertilizer to your winter potting mix.
Wicker baskets make a perfect home for a combination of pansies, ivy and primroses.
Image: Down to Earth
September is a good month to repot plants into summer pots, says gardening blogger Alan Down of Down To Earth. In fact, if your display relies on winter pansies, “the earlier you plant them, the better they’ll look.” In an informative article, Alan explains when it’s time to clean out and repot summer containers. , emphasizes the importance of refreshing compost. Also add a handful of slow-release fertilizer, he says. This gradually gives the plants the food they need to grow over the winter.
Carefully selected flowerbed plants will take you from autumn to spring
Plant the delicate viola “Bunny Ears” near the path and enjoy the scent of “hyacinth” every time you pass.
Image: T&M viola ‘Bunny Ears’
“Pansies easily outperform other winter-flowering bedding plants,” enthuses resident expert Sue Sanderson on the Thompson & Morgan blog. These “winter beasts” come in many weird and wonderful colors, shapes and sizes, from the crinkly, large-flowered “Frizzle Sizzle Mix” to the cool, plum-toned “Coolwave Raspberry.” Check out Sue’s top 10 winter bedding plants for great winter performers that will transform any outdoor space.
Fill gaps in grass borders with winter bedding plants
Polyanthus perfectly fills the gap in the border
Image: Thompson & Morgan’s Polyanthus ‘Large Flowered Mix’ seeds
Vincent Andrew, who writes for the helpful blog Garden Patch, says a great way to strengthen sparse borders in cold weather is to fill in gaps with winter bedding. The border may become a little sparse as the tender perennials die back in the fall. Choose taller flowers like sweet williams to fill the back of the bed, and choose smaller varieties like violas for the front, suggests Vincent. Check out his full article for more fall/winter color ideas.
Pansies are perfect for winter flower power
Pansies come in many colors
Image: @russellinthebushes123
Sue from @russellinthebushes123 loves winter pansies because of their wonderful, long-lasting blooms. After planting in October, her gorgeous purple pansies were still going strong into May the following year. These ruffled winter staples are a real bargain. Looking for more cold weather color ideas? Check out her photo of Viola ‘Bunny Ears’ in full bloom.
Plant violas in frost-prone areas of your garden
Choose soft colors for a sophisticated look
Image: @katespottingshed
“Violas bring much-needed color to your garden and will continue to bloom all winter if you keep them dry,” says sustainable flower artist Kate. Violas are also frost tolerant, she says. These perfect little flowers provide plenty of winter cheer. Follow her at @katespottingshed and get inspired by her amazing floral designs.
Withered winter primrose can be displayed for a long time.
Withered primroses continue to bloom in the best condition
Image: Original Gardening
Let the primroses die, says gardening expert Dan Oli on his YouTube channel, Original Gardening. This will keep your room clean and tidy, he says in a friendly and informative video. Start at the base and remove any broken flowers with sharp scissors or kitchen shears. Do the same with browning leaves to keep the display fresh throughout the season, he adds. Watch his full video for more helpful tips.
We hope you enjoy these tips and tricks for growing the best winter bedding. For more great advice on winter flowers, check out our dedicated hub page. Follow us on Instagram to stay up to date with the latest products and gardening advice.
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