The Sunday Times February 6, 2022 21Home
CALOCEPHALUS BROWNII
The wiry stems of Australian cushion
bush may resemble tumbleweed,
but its suitability for pots in milder
courtyards, coastal and city window
boxes is no joke. Its tangle of liquid-
silver stems are excellent trailers
over pot edges and set off dark-
leaved heuchera and purple viola
beautifully. In free-draining pots
they last a long time. I’ve had the
same calocephalus in my pots for
three years.PHORMIUM ‘JESTER’
As pink and green as a flock of
parrots, ‘Jester’ brings a tropical
touch even to gardens gripped by
winter cold. Like all New Zealand
flax, the leaves sway with rather than
fight the breeze so are good in
coastal, windy situations. Position
where the leaves are backlit by the
sun so you could almost believe you
were in the tropics. Almost. Team
with heuchera and trailing ivy.
Height and spread: 1m.PITTOSPORUM ‘TOM THUMB’
Most evergreen shrubs are, well, green,
but dark and interesting ‘Tom Thumb’ is
the colour of carob. Slow growing and
with a natural dome, it has the neat lines
of a topiary box ball but doesn’t suffer
box’s blights and rarely requires clipping.
Come spring the flush of new green
leaves create an outer coat as zingy as a
chocolate lime. Neater and more reliable
than the fashionable loropetalum. Pair
with zingy daffodils and ‘Heartsease’
viola. Height and spread: 60cm-plus.PIERIS ‘FLAMING SILVER’
If pieris were people they’d be annoyingly
good at everything. The young leaves are
as red as any acer before turning a glossy
green and arranging themselves into tidy
pompoms. Even the arching buds that
hold through winter look exciting before
opening into peels of tiny waxy bells.
All pieris are long-lived and good for
pots, but this one has the bonus of frosty
white edges to the leaves. Acid-loving,
so use ericaceous compost and grow in
part day-shade. 1m.TOP OF
THE POTS
Winter pots lift the spirits and draw the
eye from empty borders. Choose wisely
and they can form the basis of summer
schemes — and be ready for autumn.
Toby Buckland picks his favourites to buy
HELLEBORE X ERICSMITHII
Of the dozens of winter hellebores,
this is the one for a pot by the front door.
Cup-shaped flowers rise above
handsome pewter leaves from mid-
winter to spring and unlike oriental
hybrids that shyly look at the ground
these face up. ‘Frosty’ is white, ‘Pirouette’
pink, and chameleon-like ‘Bobs Best’ tints
from ivory through pink and red as the
flowers age. Add white crocus for extra
colour. Height is 40cm in dappled shade/
full sun. Long lived.AMENOLANTHE LESSONIANA
The feathery foliage of pheasant’s tail
grass adds dynamism to otherwise static
winter schemes. Its evergreen leaves
sway in the slightest breeze and burnish
through winter from orange to fiery red.
In summer let it gently sow itself about,
so if and when the original turns up its
toes or outgrows its space you’ll have a
supply of replacements in the borders.
Invaluable colour and textural contrast
around stiff winter evergreens. Height is
60cm; full sun to deep shade.OPHIOPOGON PLANISCAPUS ‘NIGRESCENS’
Black lilyturf is the equivalent of a dark
picture frame. In its company
supermarket hebes and variegated
euonymus look like masterpieces, and
red-stemmed dogwoods appear
positively luminescent. The black grassy
leaves bring lushness and are an
excellent choice in shade with ferns. It’s
slow to spread, so plant a few for instant
impact or buy a big plant and carefully
tear into smaller, fist-sized chunks. Keep
well watered. Fully hardy; 20cm.SEDUM RUPESTRE ‘ANGELINA’
Once sold in the alpine section of
nurseries, this zesty yellow stonecrop is a
must-have for winter pots and window
boxes, bringing mossy softness. Don’t be
fooled by its delicate appearance — it’s
drought-tolerant, so will forgive you if
you forget to water, and survives down to
minus 20C. If bits break off, push them
back into the compost and they will
re-root. Carpet between heuchera and
primrose or combine with succulent
house leeks. 10cm.HOW TO
PLANT
lUse fresh
compost, adding
a few scoops of
“controlled
release” fertiliser
pellets to the mix
before planting.
Consisting of
porous feed-filled
beads, unlike
other fertilisers
they only release
nutrients when
temperatures are
warm enough for
plant growth so
will work on warm
days in winter
and as spring
temperatures rise,
as and when plants
need them. Most
formulation last for
3-6 months.lThat said, for
most of winter
growth is slow
and gaps take a
long time to fill, so
pack plants in, with
their leaves just
touching to create
instant impact.lStart with the
largest and finish
with the fillers and
edgers. For extra
oomph, embellish
with potted bulbs
such as scented
miniature ‘Hawera’
and ‘Tête-à-tête’
daffodils, blue
crocus and
candyfloss-
coloured
Cyclamen coum
(the best coums
have showy
marbled foliage
that still looks
good when the
flowers are over).
Re-plant cyclamen
in the garden
when the summer
calendulas or
calibrachoa go in.lWinter pots
aren’t as
demanding for
water as summer
creations, as the
close foliage acts
as an umbrella.
Violas are the
canary in the
coalmine when the
compost starts
to dry so if you
spot them wilt give
the whole pot a
good soak.lColour in winter
is king. Choose
contrasting shapes
and shades of
foliage, pairing
silvers with blues
and tangerines or
bright yellows
with purple.CLAIRE GAINEY/PLANTOGRAPHY/JOHN RICHMOND/JOHN MARTIN/ALAMY; GRAHAM STRONG/ROB WHITWORTH/GAP PHOTOS; DIANA SKLAROVA/STUDIO LIGHTAND SHADE/GETTY IMAGES; MARIANNE MAJERUS