Winter can seem dreadfully long in the UK, with seemingly endless grey skies and damp weather. However, there are several flowering plants which not only survive during cold, wet weather but which thrive and flower during our coldest months of the year, adding a welcome splash of colour to our gardens.
One of the best and easiest flowers to cultivate is the pansy. Pansies come in a variety of colours – reds, blues, purples and yellows and are suitable for growing in beds, pots on the patio or hanging baskets. These plants will flower for longer than any other Winter flowers, especially if you dead head any dying or withered blooms regularly. You can buy pansies as bedding plants from late Summer in nurseries and garden centres and they can be planted in a sunny or semi-shaded position any time from September to November.
So, to cheer up the gloom of Winter, make sure you plant out swathes of pansies this Autumn.