What do you plant for winter colour?

This is something I try and give thought to in each and every garden I have. I have a spotted laurel (acuba), a euonymous and a pyracanthas at the moment.

In the past I had a lovely witch hazel, but I had to leave it behind. I might get another. I would also like a mahonia. Ive planted a couple of christmas roses, but I didnt have much luck with these before. Obviously I plant bulbs but they are more spring really.

How do you brighten up the winter in your garden?

I wish I'd spent a bit of time thinking about this back in the summer... my garden is looking pretty bleak and empty at the moment This dark and gloomy weather isn't helping matters, either!

I like cyclamen - they bloom during the winter. My parents have one in the front garden that is covered in really pretty dark pink flowers.

BTW, if you'd like another witch hazel soon-ish, Crocus.co.uk are currently offering £5 off all of the Hamamelis (link) I've never brought one, so I can't say if thats really a good deal or not, but it might be worth a peek!

I've just been and bought some winter pansies from a fabulous local (and cheap) nursery near us, along with a little cyclamen.

We've put some of the pansies in a hanging basket with the cyclamen and have more pansies and spring bulbs to go in a pot later on...

This is our first winter in this house so we are just discovering what is already in really, we have some nice little plants that keep flowering as time goes on (no idea what most of them are) and the sunflowers are STILL going

BTW, if you'd like another witch hazel soon-ish, Crocus.co.uk are currently offering £5 off all of the Hamamelis (link) I've never brought one, so I can't say if thats really a good deal or not, but it might be worth a peek!

The price is about average with the money off, dear without it!

those ornamental cabbages are gorgeous though the winter months ...

Keep seeing them around Hillsborough shops and cant make my mind up about them. They do look nice, but I think because they are cabbages I dont buy them. Silly I suppose.

Ive just ordered two cornus (dogwoods) the ones with coloured bark, one thats red and one thats yellow to brighten up the winter months. Also a Korean fir. Always wanted one, but they seem expensive. They bear blue cones from a young age.

Always have Winter Flowering Pansies in containers at either side of the outside door,but the best bargain of the lot for colour and hardiness are Winter Flowering Violas.They are still flowering when its time to put your container bedding plants in next year. They are worth every penny,and the weather never bothers them,come rain or shine. Worth every penny.