The Top 5 Bedding Plants for Autumn & Winter

The Top 5 Bedding Plants for Autumn & Winter

 

Here’s the list of the top 5 bedding plants for that autumn & winter garden colour

 

1. Pansy

 

 

A stalwart of winter displays, pansies easily out-bloom any other winter flowering bedding plant. Although they prefer full sun, pansies also thrive in semi shade making them the ideal plant for filling winter hanging baskets and containers, as well as plugging gaps in your borders.

Look for bright colours like purple, blue, red, orange and yellow, or go for a selection like pansy matrix mixed which, with its compact sturdy stems, withstands winter wind and rain without too much trouble.

 

2. Viola

 

 

A hardy bedding plant that likes sun or semi shade, violas produce an abundance of dainty flowers on neat compact growth for a subtle but colourful winter display. As versatile as pansies, try a dwarf upright variety like Viola 'Sweeties' or a spectacular trailing viola like 'Allspice Mixed' which is ideal for winter hanging baskets.

Many violas often have a delightful sweet fragrance too, which makes them perfect for hanging outside your kitchen window, or planting in pots by the back door.

 

3. Primrose

 

 

Available in a dazzling array of colours and sizes, modern primroses offer improved flowering, especially during the winter months. Primrose 'Husky Mixed' start producing their rosettes of flowers from mid-winter onwards providing a riot of colour to brighten winter beds, borders, window boxes and containers.

Harden off your primroses before planting out on bright frost-free days, and water sparingly until the roots are established. Avoid over-watering containers because damp soil and chilly weather encourage rot.

 

4. Stock

 

 

A much-loved winter bedding plant, these neat, upright biennials produce large, ruffled, strongly fragrant flower spikes from mid-spring through to mid-summer. Overwintering as a rosette of leaves, stock plants provide interesting winter foliage and burst into life as the weather warms in spring.

 

5. Cyclamen coum

 

 

A true winter-flowering plant, cyclamen coum fills your garden with colour even on the dullest January and February days. Low maintenance, cyclamen looks great in a woodland setting, providing excellent ground cover which self-seeds to create a carpet of blooms each year.

For a subtle winter-flowering bedding plant, try cyclamen hederifolium which with its dainty nodding flowers and attractive marbled leaves, pairs well with snowdrops and evergreen grasses, as well as box and trailing ivy.

Whether you’re planting for autumn colour or a burst of interest in early spring, our top ten winter bedding plants should guarantee a successful display.