Just when you thought all the gardening was over and done for the winter, bumble bees and a few other nectar hungry insects decide to stay active during the winter months and hope that gardeners will do their best to provide winter interest, aka winter flowering plants to keep them going through to the spring when flowering dandelions make an unwelcome (or welcome depending on your love of dandelions) appearance.
So, what are the best or most valuable plants to winter wildlife and is there anything to avoid?
Garden centres are full of colour at this time of year but how do they do it, will the plants look any good by the time I’ve planted them and the weather has done its worst.
Firstly, a plant pet-hate, pansies or increasingly referred to as Violas. Fabulous flowering plants when first bought but keeping them looking at their best through the winter months is a challenge, they usually come good again in the spring just in time for digging them up and replacing with bedding plants. To keep them looking good one grower recommends bringing them into the house whenever the weather looks too wet, or too cold (a bit of a faff), perhaps something a bit more suitable for winter weather is called for!
If you want to go big and bold start with a Mahonia, they are covered in thousands of yellow flowers from November to March and will attract winter active insects such as bumble bees. Mahonias will easily grow to 5m in height and width if you let them. The good news is that you can prune hard after flowering and enjoy a more compact Mahonia the flowing year.
Next come the plants Next come the plants that are usually called “Winter flowering…”
Winter flowering honeysuckle
or Lonicera fragrantissima to give its proper name and if you want a heady perfume in your winter garden this is a good choice and the bumble bees love it too, and to keep it looking good, prune back to healthy looking buds after flowering.
Winter flowering Clematis
Winter Viburnum
Winter Jasmine
Christmas box
Winter flowering heather
Winter aconite
Hellebores
Winter primula/primroses
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