Winter and Spring Bedding Plants

Winter and spring bedding plants are just some of the gorgeous plants we now have available in the plant centre.

So, it’s time to pull out your summer bedding displays and replace with winter and spring bedding plants – we have a great selection including wallflowers, primroses, polyanthus, bellis and myosotis which will really come into their own next spring, but need planting now. We also have a good choice of colours in violas and pansies, which are flowering now and will continue to do so right through the winter. This is likely to be our last delivery of bedding plants, so once these have gone that will be it until the spring season. Underplant with spring flowering bulbs for a really showy display. These are selling fast but we do still have a good selection for you to choose from.

Recommended Plants this Week

  • Hamamelis (Witch Hazel). We have some beauties in stock for you – in fact Stephen thinks the larger plants are amongst the best he’s ever seen, being well branched and full of flower buds. In the large size and costing £99.99 we have the following varieties:
    • Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena'

      Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’

      Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’ is a large deciduous shrub of open habit. Spidery, yellow flowers are extremely frost-resistant and highly fragrant, and appear from mid-late winter. After the flowers, large green leaves open that turn vibrant shades of yellow and orange in the autumn. This is a lovely shrub for the woodland garden or as a specimen in the shrub border.

    • Hamamelis x intermedia Diane’ is a broad crowned, large deciduous shrub of open habit. One of the best reds Witch Hazels, its large spidery flowers are a striking brick red and produced between December and March. The large, green foliage turns fiery shades of red, orange and yellow in autumn.
    • Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’  also known as ‘Copper Beauty’, is an eye catching, well branched Witch Hazel. The spreading stems are cloaked in unremarkable green foliage in summer, which then turn spectacular shades of yellow, orange and red in the autumn. Majestic flowers in spectacular shades of yellow, orange and red are produced on bare branches from November to January, making them perfect for adding colour and interest to the winter garden. Flowers also release a subtle citrusy perfume.
    • Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Orange Beauty’ is a vigorous, deciduous shrub with an upright but spreading, vase shaped habit. The broad, hazel-like leaves emerge yellowish green flushed maroon, turning deep green in summer, and in autumn turn brilliant yellow and orange. From early to late winter, slightly twisted, spidery, scented flowers emerge on the bare branches, at first yellow-orange, later turning amber, orange and red, against the purple-red calyxes

We also have a selection of smaller Hamamelis plants priced at  £56.99.

  • Sarcococca ( Winter Box)
      • Sarcococca ruscifolia var chinensis ‘Dragon Gate’  is a splendid Chinese shrub with fairly narrow, lance-shaped dark green leaves and masses of sweetly scented white flowers in winter.
      • Sarcococca hookeriana “Purple Gem” is a popular and attractive, low growing evergreen shrub with slender, glossy dark green leaves and clusters of highly scented white flowers from December to March. The stems are dark purple-red in colour.

    I would recommend planting Sarcococcas near a path or house door so that you can get the full benefit of the honey scented flowers in winter. They also do well in pots – but be careful not to over-pot them.

    Other plants to add interest to a winter garden:

    • Corylus avellana contorta ( Twisted Hazel) which has attractive twisted stems
    • Viburnam bodnantense Dawn – an early spring flowering shrub which is highly fragrant and good for cutting
    • Brachyglottis greyii (used to be called Senecio greyiii) a silver leaved evergreen plant with yellow daisy-like flowers in summer
    • Fothergilla Major – A medium-sized deciduous shrub with a height upto 2m, with glossy, broadly oval leaves glaucous beneath and turning brilliant red and orange in autumn. Flowers small, white, in short spikes before or with the leaves. Quite an unusual plant
    • Garrya thuretii – This shrub produces cascades of long, silky, tassel-like catkins in January and February. It has dark evergreen leaves that have a silvery underside. Garrya can grow to a substantial size over time, but would benefit from the protection of a wall in our area.
    • Olearia macrodonta – (New Zealand Holly, Daisy Bush) )  A medium sized, evergreen shrub with large silvery-green, holly-like leaves and clusters of fragrant, white flowers in early to mid summer. The leaves are musk-scented when crushed.
    • Leucothoe White Water (NEW to Woodside) An evergreen shrub with striking, white variegated leaves on reddish young shoots. In the winter the leaves become dark red.