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Five top plants for winter interest:

Interest in the winter may come from flowers, scent, berries, coloured stems or dramatic evergreen foliage. Plants with fragrance are best appreciated when planted by doorways or entrances in regular winter use. Since some are not particularly attractive during the summer months, you may find it useful to plant in containers and change plantings according to the seasons.

Before embarking on creating your winter displays consider the following points;

• Containers are a great way of growing many of these plants to provide winter interest. Use loam-based compost
  Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own. , such as John Innes No 2
• Flowering of shrubs can be sporadic over several weeks or months, depending on the severity of the winter
• If you plan to train shrubs to a wall, first ensure that a satisfactory method of support can be erected or attached to the wall

Heights given are approximate and they may vary under differing conditions. Shrubs may take several years to reach their ultimate height. When positioning the shrubs, take into account their eventual size.

Shrubs (deciduous)

• Abeliophyllum distichum – fragrant white flowers in February. Height 2m (6½ft)
• Cornus sanguinea ‘Anny’s Winter Orange’ AGM – Cultivar
  Gardeners often use the word variety when referring to a specific plant, but the correct botanical term is 'cultivar'. Whichever word you use, it means a distinctive plant or plants, given a specific cultivar name and usually bred to enhance certain characteristics, such as flower or fruit size, colour, flavour or fragrance, plant size, hardiness, disease resistance, etc. Additionally, it is worth knowing that, botanically, variety has another meaning - it refers to a naturally-occurring distinct plant that only has slight differences in its looks. For example, Malva alcea var. fastigiata differs from typical plants by having an upright habit. of Native
  A native plant is one that originated or arrived naturally in a particular place without human involvement. In the British Isles, native plants are those that were here during the last ice age or have arrived unaided since. to GB and Ireland
• Daphne mezereum – Native to GB. Purple-red flowers in February–April. Good in chalky soil. Height 1.5m (5ft)
• Hamamelis × intermedia – several cultivars; fragrant yellow or orange flowers between December and March. Height 1.8–3m (6–10ft)

Shrubs (evergreen)

• Arbutus unedo AGM – Native to Ireland. White or tinged pink flowers between October and December. Height 4.5-6m (15-20ft)
• Elaeagnus pungens 'Maculata' (v) AGM – small, silvery white flowers between October and January. Height 2.4-4.5m (8-15ft)
• Ilex aquifolium 'Handsworth New Silver' – Cultivar of Native to GB and Ireland
• Mahonia × media 'Charity' AGM – yellow spikes of flowers in November and December. Height 3-4.5m (10-15ft)
• Taxus baccata ‘F²¹²õ³Ù¾±²µ¾±²¹³Ù²¹ ’ AGM – Cultivar of Native to GB and Ireland

Climbers

• Clematis cirrhosa – cream flowers from November to March. Height 4m (13ft)
• Clematis cirrhosa var. balearica AGM – cream spotted red/maroon flowers from November to March. Height 4m (13ft)
• Clematis cirrhosa 'Freckles' AGM – cream flecked maroon/violet flowers from November to March. Height 4m (13ft)
• Hedera helix 'Oro di Bogliasco' – Cultivar of Native to GB and Ireland

Herbaceous perennials

• Bergenia – several species/cultivars with pink or white flowers from January to April. Height: 20-40cm (8-15in)
• Helleborus foetidus AGM - Native to GB
• Helleborus niger AGM – white flowers from December to March. Height 30-45cm (1ft-18in)
• Iris unguicularis AGM – lilac flowers from October to March. Height 22cm (9in)

Bulbs

• Eranthis hyemalis AGM – yellow flowers from January to March. Height 15cm (6in)
• Galanthus nivalis AGM – white flowers from January to February. Height 7–10cm (3–4in)
• Scilla mischtschenkoana ‘T³Ü²ú±ð°ù²µ±ð²Ô¾±²¹²Ô²¹â€™ (syn. S. tubergeniana) AGM – pale blue flowers in February. Height: 10–15cm (4–6in)