Late December may well be a time of little daylight with all extremes of winter weather possible, but that needn’t mean the garden needs to lack colour. So many of our favourite plants will be pruned back, dormant or possibly even sheltering in the house or greenhouse.
Let’s have a look at what we might have in the garden to add some December colour.
There are some varieties of Camellia which are autumn flowering. Given a sheltered spot, but with the maximum of whatever sun is available, they could well reward you by still showing blooms at Christmas. There is even a variety called “YuleTide” with impressive dark red flowers.
Winter heathers are a great way of creating a colourful display which certainly stands out in December. Cheap and relatively easy to look after, they hold on to their small flowers for weeks sometimes. They can be used as ground coverage, or grown in pots. Having plenty of plants gives an impressive bank of colour when the rest of the garden might be a bit barren.
If you would like to have some sweet fragrance to accompany your winter colour, then you could do a lot worse than planting a Sarcococca. Satisfying dark, evergreen foliage is in contrast to the delicate clusters of small white flowers which normally appear in December and last until around March. Sarcococca is another plant with a festive nickname, often referred to as the Christmas Box. After flowering, most varieties produce lovely dark coloured berries. Even in winter, this plant might struggle in full sun, so aim for partial shade when planning.
Another favourite is the Christmas Cactus. We’re cheating here, as they tend to be house plants, but we thought they deserved a mention as, with the right care they can produce a spectacular floral display ready for the big day.
Back in the garden, why not give the multi-coloured, ever popular Pansy some time as the main attraction. Hardy and prolific, they can be found in a seemingly never ending array of colours. They will happily flower all winter and will certainly be an attraction on Christmas Day. An adaptable plant, happy in tiny spaces, borders or even in winter hanging baskets.
Let us not forget there are also climbers which flourish in the winter. There is a variety of Clematis known as Jingle Bells which has a delicate fragrance to match its subtle off white petals with fluffy seed heads. Its dark green foliage is prolific and is a great plant for covering a wall or trellis with colour when the garden around it is bare and colourless.
Our garden planning services can take the thinking out of your garden and ensure that your planting gives you a garden to enjoy whatever the season.
Get in touch today and let’s start filling your garden with year round colour.
