Potted colour for instant effects in winter

It is a truth universally acknowledged that my garden looks hideous in winter. Because I grow a lot of herbaceous plants that die down (or are cut down) in winter for a dormant period (such as Aster, Dahlia, Echinacea, perennial Phlox, species Geranium, ornamental grasses and Canna), there are large bare areas in the garden in winter. Other plants - such as Hydrangea and Fuchsia - are pruned now, so they look like very unimpressive sticks. Also, I grow many semi-tropical plants - such as Pentas, heliotrope, many Salvia varieties, numerous members of the family Acanthaceae and foliage plants such as Iresine, Alternanthera and coleus - which all look so sad and woebegone in winter before they are pruned in August that it is better not to look. Winter is definitely not their favourite time of year. The situation is worse this winter because I have removed some of these warm-climate shrubby plants that were getting old and unproductive - as one has to do with these plants every few years. I do intend to replant new ones grown from cuttings in spring but meanwhile the empty spaces loom large!

Three-coloured Sutera cordata

Three-coloured Sutera cordata

As outlined in a previous blog, for some years now I have sown seeds of quick-growing winter salad crops, herbs and annual flowers over the top or around the bare spots in my garden, which has been a good way of filling the gaps and distracting from the misery of the other plants. This year, for some reason, I decided I buy some 'potted colour' - advanced plants already flowering - of winter/spring annuals (some being perennials usually grown as annuals). These are usually available quite cheaply and I went back a couple of times, as the available stock varied a lot from week to week. I bought cheerful pots of Nemesia, Diascia, Sutera cordata (syn. Bacopa), Cynoglossum (Chinese forget-me-nots), Leucanthemum paludosum (annual ox-eye daisy), Primula malacoides and Dianthus. I also threw in some blooming Marguerite daisies, a perennial Lobularia and a compact form of Plectranthus argentatus called 'Silver Shield'.

Nemesia and Diascia potted colour in the garden

Nemesia and Diascia potted colour in the garden

In reality, the ploy is rather sad- I would literally need hundreds of these pots to actually fill all the gaps in my garden and I only bought a couple of dozen, and once they are planted they look so small and somewhat pathetic. The plants were just put in my front borders, which my kitchen looks out on - really just to give me something to look at other than bare soil whist I cook or wash up! It's amazing how one's spirits lift to see these flowers each day. I also enjoy nurturing them with frequent feeds of fertiliser to keep them in good heart, and they respond happily to such care. I also felt I was doing a good deed to pollinating insects by providing some extra flowers for them to forage in on these cold days.

Watsonias grown in colanders buried in the soil

Watsonias grown in colanders buried in the soil

Another ruse I've used this year was to plant spring-flowering Watsonia bulbs in plastic colanders from the $2 shop, and plunge these into the same garden beds, covering the rim of the colander with soil so no one would be any the wiser. Once these bulbs have flowered, I will lift up the colander and put it in an out-of-the-way spot till the leaves die back then store the bulbs for next year. By that time, the surrounding plants will be starting to grow back, and the space occupied by the bulbs will be no more.

An even more desperate act of mine has been to put vases of bought flowers onto the table outside my kitchen window to gaze upon! It is surprising how much longer cut flowers last outside compared to being in a heated indoor environment.

Primula malacoides potted colour

Primula malacoides potted colour

I struggle every winter with the quandary of whether to put some more permanent evergreen structure into the garden so that it is not quite so tragic in winter. At this time, I envy gardens that basically look the same all year round. However, I do love the exhilarating drama as the garden fills in once the warmer weather arrives - as the dormant plants arise from the ground, and the pruned plants burst into life and start to fill in. I do believe gardens need some evergreen shrubs and trees, whether it be formal or informal hedges or backdrops, to give structure to the garden, but I will never be able to forego the joy of the froth and colour of the now-hibernating plants that give a lush profusion in summer and autumn over such a long period. The price I pay is the bare patches in my winter garden, but my potted colour helps ease the pain!