Create the perfect hanging basket for winter

Bonnie Davies is an award winning garden designer who works at Burnham's family-run, Davies Brothers Nursery. Welcome to her blog where she shares her thoughts on all things green.

Winter hanging baskets are so underrated. If I can’t be bothered to bed out the garden with colourful annuals, I go to town with spectacular baskets and tubs near the house instead. They are well worth the effort because they see you through the dreary months right in to May. There is so much more you can do with winter arrangements, in a way they are more exciting than summer baskets.

Firstly you need a good centre plant for height and structure, Skimmia, Acorus, Carex ‘Jenekeee’ and young Viburnum tinus are all good options.

One or two small shrubby plants around the edge breaks up the pansies and makes them standout more. Heathers, Cineraria, Calocephalus, Gautheria and Cyclamen serve this purpose well. If you fancy a wacky look why not try an ornamental cabbage?

Finally you need at least one trailing plant. Ivy is the old favourite, but if you are not a fan you can substitute this with Ajuga, A.’Burgundy Glow’ is a personal favourite of mine for the variegataed foliage and spring flowers. Low growing Sedum varieties and Thyme will also spill over the edge of the basket.

In the gaps you need to plant a mixed array of autumn and spring bedding, including Pansies, violas, new trailing pansies, primroses, Dianthus and Bellis.

To give the baskets an extra surge of colour in the Spring we underplant with various bulbs including Daffodil ‘Tete a tete’, Tulipa ‘Red Ridinghood’, Crocus, Iris, Muscari, Anenome and Fritillaria.

Or if you don’t fancy making your own you could pop down to the nursery and have a look at ours, prices start from £6 for an 11inch hanging pot.

Happy gardening 

Bonnie x

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