While the colder weather does mean being indoors more over winter, having garden pots and planters positioned near the house is a brilliant way of bringing some of the outdoors inside when the weather feels really gloomy.
I love to gaze out on plants and greenery even if I can’t be outside, so bringing colour to my garden with a winter planter (or two) is a must, with garden containers just outside the back door, in view of windows or positioned in a prominent spot on the patio where they can be admired.
There are a few extra things to think about with winter garden ideas that you don’t usually have to worry about with summer containers, from pot position and drainage to choosing cold-weather-loving plants. But the basics are the same, and making a winter planter for the back garden or as a front garden idea is an easy project that will only take an hour or two.
1. Prepare the planter first
Making sure you choose a suitable container is a must with any winter planter arrangement. Cold weather, frost and wet soil can cause planters to crack and break over winter, so always choose frost-proof terracotta, fibreglass or plastic containers that can cope with the temperature change and protect plants from frost.
Rain can also be a problem over winter, so it’s important to make sure pots can drain freely before planting them up. I’ve added pot feet underneath mine to elevate the pot and help water drain away, with a layer of crocks for drainage at the bottom. And using free-draining compost like this Miracle-Gro Premium All Purpose Compost, £12.20 from Amazon, will also help.
Position is also important for winter planters. Choose a spot where they’ll get as much sun as possible, as there’ll be fewer daylight hours over winter, and in a sheltered position under eaves or up against a wall where it will be a little warmer. Arranging patio pots grouped together can also help create a microclimate that will keep pots warmer. And make sure you are happy with the position before you fill the planter, as it will be heavy to move once full.
2. Start with an upright plant to add height
When it comes to container arrangements, I’m a great fan of the ‘thriller, filler, spiller rule’ that works by combining three different elements or types of plant to create a more balanced arrangement that includes height, dimension and colour.
With a large container like this one, it helps to start with the ‘thriller’ element of the display first, something that will give your arrangement a focal point. I’ve gone for a tall cordyline in this rich russet to add winter colour and bring some height and structure to the display. In spring or summer, a colourful flowering plant would work well.
If you can, try to position the thriller depending on which angle you are going to view the planter from. As mine has some larger planters behind it and the container will be viewed front-on, I’ve placed my thriller at the back of the container and will put smaller plants in front of it.
Shop my ‘thriller’ plant picks
Leucothoe Zeblid – Evergreen Scarletta Plants
Cordyline Australis ‘Torbay Dazzler’
Skimmia Japonica ‘rubella’
3. Add your filler foliage
Once happy with the ‘thriller’ element of the arrangement, I’ll move on to the ‘filler’ plants next. These are the more bushy plants that will create fullness and add bulk to the container to basically ‘fill it out’.
Fillers tend to be smaller-leaved plants that complement your thriller. In winter, go for evergreen varieties that will retain their leaves and colour. It makes the arrangement more visually interesting if you can vary textures and leaf shapes, combining spiky foliage with softer, rounded leaves or adding in colourful bedding plants to add pops of colour and contrast.
I’ve gone for a mix of my favourite container plants for autumn colour, such as these pretty heathers and richly-coloured heucheras against the coolness of a mini eucalyptus plant with its spiky shape. When filling a winter container, it’s worth remembering that plants grow very little over winter, so make sure you start with good-sized plants that will really fill out your container.
Shop my ‘filler’ plant picks
Eucalyptus Gunnii ‘azura’
Erica ‘kramer’s Red’ – Winter Flowering Heather
4. Work in a few trailing plants
With the arrangement looking fairly rounded and full, I’ll then look to add some ‘spiller’ plants or trailing greenery that spills over the sides of the container and helps to soften the edges.
As it’s winter, I’ve gone for trailing ivy in this planter which is easily popped into any small gaps at the edges of containers. Other evergreen plants for pots that work well as spiller plants, include creeping jenny, dichondra ‘silver falls’, or alternatively, ferns and ornamental grasses are also good at softening the edges of container arrangements.
Shop my ‘spiller’ plant picks
Trailing Variegated Ivy – Pack of Five Hedera Plants
Dichondra Argentea ‘Emerald Falls’
Ready to Plant Outdoor Ferns – Mixed Varieties
5. Add extra colour with bedding plants
Once I’m fairly happy with how an arrangement is looking, I’ll often go back and add a few pops of extra colour if it needs it. Winter flowers like these pretty pink cyclamen are a great all-rounder that are brilliant for containers and can be picked up quite cheaply. Hardy cyclamen are great repeat-flowerers too, with blooms easily picked off as they fade. Pansies and violas are another option that are great for adding extra colour to winter planters.
At the same time as adding the cyclamen, I’ve also put in a few spring-flowering bulbs that will bring some colour once the bedding plants have faded. Small muscari bulbs like these take up minimal space and will hopefully come into bloom in late March or early April, so I’ll get maximum colour from my winter planter.
Shop my bedding plant picks
Multi Shades Patio Mini Cyclamen in Bud & Bloom
Pansy ‘frizzle Sizzle Burgundy’
Viola Plant ‘sorbet Pink Wings’
Will you be making up a winter planter for your garden? And what plants will you be adding to bring some winter colour… let us know.
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