AS the nights draw in, the rain pours down – and the Elf on the Shelf starts demanding way too much attention – it’s no surprise that our focus turns to indoors over outdoors.

Let's admit it, we’re often guilty of gardens bursting with blooms over Spring and Summer, but come Winter we’ve got bare beds, forgotten pots – and the less said about the state of our lawns, the better. 

But with a bit of careful planning and planting, there’s no reason why we can’t gaze out on Christmas Day at a bright and beautiful garden.

One of the most remarkable Winter shrubs is the deciduous Calicarpa Profusion ‘Beautyberry’ – bursting with incredible, almost neon purple berries come Autumn, through into Winter.

Plant in full or partial sun – to encourage more berries – in moist, well drained soil. 

Hellebores – also known as ‘Snow Roses’ are a classic. And while their glossy evergreen leaves provide groundcover or edging all year round, they come in all sorts of lovely colours.

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Helleborous Niger ‘Christmas Carol’ is an elegant white which looks great among early Spring bulbs and ferns. They also don’t mind being in partial shade, in moist, free draining soil.

Cornus Sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ is a Dogwood shrub that develops really bright orangey, red , stems in Winter – bringing proper drama to your outside space – whether its up against a wall or fence, or proudly in a pot. 

Prune it really hard just a few inches off the ground every other year in the dormant season to keep the colour coming. And make sure its in partial or full sun – it will take most soil types.

Nandina Domestica ‘Firepower’ is a bushy, compact shrub which also looks great in containers.

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Green leaves with small star shaped white flowers in Summer turn red hot in Winter. Plant in sheltered partial shade.   

Climber Jasminum Nudiflorum looks fab trained up against a fence or wall, with bright starry yellow flowers over Winter – as well as providing evergreen cover all year.

It loves a bit of sunshine in well drained, fertile soil – and although it's not scented, it brings a bit of early cheer.

Cyclamen Coum will fill your borders all year long – and comes in an amazing array of hot pinks, purples, white and red from late Autumn onwards.

A really dependable perennial – you can plant in partial or full sun – and it also looks pretty in pots.

Mahonia x Media ‘Winter Sun’ is a dramatic evergreen shrub for any outside space, with bright yellow clusters of flowers along stems of glossy green pinnate leaves – followed by berries for the birds – and it smells divine.

It's pretty tolerant – so full sun to shade is fine – in moist, well draining soil. 

And don’t forget the classic Ivy, Holly, Skimmia’s and Daphnes, which all help to keep your outdoor space a happy one. 

BERRY CHRISTMAS!

Get£10 off a 3L pot of Callicarpa Profusion Beautyberry from YouGarden by using the code VERON102 at YouGarden.com

IN THE RED

On Tuesday this week it was National Poinsetta Day! And whether you love or hate them, you know it's a sign that Christmas has truly come.

All too often they’re thrown away, but with care you can actually keep them going into next year. 

Poinsetta's tend to be so cheap, so to attempt keep it until next Christmas very much falls into the 'can you be bothered/up for the challenge' category.

But if you're game, and you've got space to hide it away,it's a great experiment to try.

First of all, choose wisely – they don’t like cold – so if they’re outside a shop or being sold near a draughty door then chances are they will start to wilt and die – and the worst thing, is that there's nothing you can do.

In all seriousness, protect it on the way home and once inside, keep it cosy at temperatures between 13° to 15°, avoiding bright lights and drafts. 

Water sparingly when the top of the compost feels dry, and mist regularly to extend flowering time.

And now for the science bit…

If you want to keep it – give it tomato feed once a month. 

Prune it back hard in April, to about 10cm, and keep it around 13oc. 

Repot into a larger container in May, using John Innes No 3 mixed with a handful of grit, and keep in a cool spot. 

To get it blooming again for Christmas – from mid-September it needs complete darkness for 12 hours a day and about 18oc to develop their blooms. 

Best of luck!

GOVERNMENT GUNNERA BAN

THE Government is set to ban gardeners from growing a type of Gunnera – or giant rhubarb – in their outdoor spaces.

A new study by the RHS discovered that a highly invasive cultivar Gunnera x Cryptica has taken over our gardens, choking native plants and causing serious problems.

So they’ve called for a ban on selling, cultivating or planting it, asking for it to be removed from shop shelves – and listing it of ‘special concern’ in the UK industry.

The RHS recommends digging it out if its in your garden, or pruning it to prevent spread. 

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TOP TIP!

Bare root plants are on sale now and are a much more affordable way of filling your garden with flowers next year – often establishing much easier than their containerised counterparts. 

THIS WEEK'S JOB

Check in with your houseplants. Move them closer to their natural light source, keep them away from hot radiators and cold windowsills and don’t feed them.  

SAVE!

Plant some Winter colour in your garden with this gorgeous glossy 34cm Aasen pot from Wayfair at  £61.99

Or save for the sales with this almost identical 35cm Chiswick Egg planter from Homebase for just  £25

WIN!

One lucky reader can get their hands on a  £200 YouGarden gift voucher to spend online.

Go to www.thesun.co.uk/WinYouGardenVoucher, or write to Sun YouGarden Competition,PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP.

Include your name, age, email or phone. T&Cs apply. Ends 30/12/2023 18+, UK only.

LEARN!

When is the best time to prune roses in the Winter and is there any feed I need to use until Spring? P. Maweb, Skegness. 

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Its been pretty mild in London so I’ve started the odd bit of pruning in my clients' gardens, but if you have the luxury of time you can wait until Feb or even March in Skegness.

Avoid pruning in a hard frost, and wait until buds are resuming but before green shoots.  Your roses will be in hibernation now – so just leave them to it and don’t worry about feeding. From mid-Spring give them liquid fertiliser once a fortnight. 

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