A trip to the local garden centre or nursery at this time of year will let you see what stunning foliage and seasonal colour abounds.

Planting up a winter pot or two to sit at your front door to welcome you, or placed where you can see it from your window, is a great activity to undertake this month. Many winter-flowering plants will also provide vital nectar for foraging wildlife too – even more reason for introducing them to your plot.

Make an Impact

Plants do not grow much during winter months,so to make an immediate impact, it is important to choose enough plants to look good right from the start – it is the only time we would over-plant a container. If you select wisely, plants can be removed from the pot in the spring and planted into the borders.

The first step is to choose the focus plant to lend structure to the planter. After that, it is relatively easy to create an effective arrangement – just keep pottering around the shelves in the garden centre, picking out plants, and trying out different groupings until you find the perfect combination! Follow the same rules of thriller, filler, and spiller, as you would do with a summer container combination.

Buy a packet of Narcissus ‘Tête-à-Tête, and a packet of Iris reticulata bulbs to underplant in the container which will see your display through until springtime. Narcissus ‘Tête-à-Tête’, with its petite, twin flowers, only grows to about 15cm so is perfect for small pots. The pretty iris reticulata flowers in late winter to early spring, growing to 12cm high.

The Thriller

For structure, start with a Skimmia japonica as the focal point for your arrangement which comes in a range of sizes, depending on your container size. 

The red berries of the checkerberry, Gaultheria procumbens, also make a wonderfully festive thriller plant.

The Filler

Once you have a thriller chosen, there is a plethora of choice for plants to fill out the container.

Try contrasting heuchera leaf colours by using two different coloured heuchera, like one with lime-green foliage, and one with dark, purple foliage. Use the garden design rule of planting in odd numbers, and chose 3 or 5 heuchera for your container.

The bi-coloured foliage of Euonymus ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’, and some eye-catching heather will provide plenty of colour together in a display, while the Christmas rose, Helleborus niger will add a splash of winter white, and these three would make a great combination in a pot together.

You could increase the red Christmas element by substituting the euonymus and heather for the fiery winter foliage of evergreen Nandina domestica.

For a pop of bold, pink colour to brighten grey days, use a Gaultheria mucronata (formerly Pernettya mucronata), and contrast it with ornamental cabbage.

The Spiller

Choose a collection of winter-flowering pansies to soften the sides of the planter. There is usually a huge choice of cheerful colours, both single and bi-coloured. Try a deep red colour to add a real festive feel to the garden.

Or try adding cyclamen flowers which will be enhanced by the frosty foliage of Senecio cineraria. Remember that not all cyclamens are hardy, so be sure to choose hardy Cyclamen hederifolium or Cyclamen coum for your winter pots.

Adding trailing variegated ivy will always soften the sides as it spills over the pot.

Planting Up A Container

• Place some small stones or gravel over the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot to prevent them from getting clogged up with soil, and then add a layer of compost. We mix grit with the soil to keep the pots free draining.
• Start with planting the Skimmia japonica – if the container is against a wall the Skimmia japonica can be planted at the back, flanked by heuchera and heather, if free-standing plant the skimmia in the middle.
• Before adding the rest of the plants, add the bulbs, planted at 2-3 times their depth and one bulb width apart. 
• To finish off the winter pot, add the remaining pansies squeezed in around the edge, where they will flower their little socks off in milder spells throughout the winter.
• Raise the pot on feet or bricks to ensure it is free draining over winter – even a few pieces of wood will do.

Which Plants are Good for Winter Pots in Shade?

Even a garden which does not get much winter sun can be brightened with a container, providing you choose the right type of plants. Try these three winter varieties:

Skimmia japonica ‘Obsession’

This evergreen shrub, growing to 80cm (31.5in), has red berries in autumn and winter, and scented blooms in spring. It grows best in moist, well-drained pots of regular or ericaceous compost in sheltered shade or semi-shade.

Hedera helix ‘Buttercup’

This slow-growing, trailing ivy has lime-green and lemon-yellow leaves when positioned in a shady spot, or bolder yellow leaves if grown in sun. Avoid overcrowding, and plant in well-drained soil. 

Mahonia x media ‘Charity’

An evergreen shrub, this plant has architectural foliage and yellow flowers that exude a beautiful scent in winter. It can grow up to 4m (13ft) in height, so after flowering, plant it out in the garden in humus-rich soil in shade or semi-shade.

Tips for Winter Containers

• Place the container where it will get the best of the winter sun. In severe weather, move pots to a sheltered spot, or wrap in horticultural fleece or bubble wrap.
• Stand pots on bricks or pot feet to improve drainage.
• Plants do not need fed in the winter months, but they will need watering during dry, mild spells.
• Deadhead flowers when necessary.

Tom’s Hidden Garden is located in Bonnybridge, Central Scotland – a small garden with over 630 different plants, 200 containers and 30 hanging baskets. Tom Williamson has been developing the garden over the last 35 years, working with David Gallacher over the last 10 to create its unique look. Tom is a keen gardener, planting where he thinks a plant will be happy. David is a time-served gardener in commercial gardens and landscaping. Catch up with more secrets of their garden and their success with plants on their Facebook group.