Hello Gardeners,
During the Summer I had "Impatiens" and "Verbena" around a grass border and
I dug up the plants today.

I would like to replace these with something equally colourful for late
Autumn/Winter flowering. The position is open and gets sun.

I have used "Polyanthus" in previous years which are OK but getting tired of
family and friends telling me these plants are my only option !

Any alternatives you can suggest would be welcome.
Thanks.

Mike

in article , Mike at
wrote on 13/10/03 6:18 pm:

Hello Gardeners,
During the Summer I had "Impatiens" and "Verbena" around a grass border and
I dug up the plants today.

I would like to replace these with something equally colourful for late
Autumn/Winter flowering. The position is open and gets sun.

I have used "Polyanthus" in previous years which are OK but getting tired of
family and friends telling me these plants are my only option !

Any alternatives you can suggest would be welcome.
Thanks.

Mike


Pansies and ivy?
--

Sacha
(remove the 'x' to email me)

On Mon, 13 Oct 2003 18:18:20 +0100, "Mike" wrote:

~Hello Gardeners,
~During the Summer I had "Impatiens" and "Verbena" around a grass border and
~I dug up the plants today.
~
~I would like to replace these with something equally colourful for late
~Autumn/Winter flowering. The position is open and gets sun.
~
~I have used "Polyanthus" in previous years which are OK but getting tired of
~family and friends telling me these plants are my only option !
~
~Any alternatives you can suggest would be welcome.
~Thanks.
~
~Mike
~

I've been faffing about with a lot of potted bulbs for the autumn/winter: I
have nerines out now, autumn croci, colchicums, lots of Cyclamen
hederifolium and coum, and a potful of Gentiana x macauleyii 'kingfisher'
which is just coming out and is wonderful... I realise you need something
now rather than for next year but there may be nurseries selling them in
flower. I bought a huge pot of about to flower nerines the other weekend
for a fiver.

Also winter pansies and violas*. I've got waiting in the wings pots of
crocus, miniature iris (yellow, purple and blue), snowdrops, miniature
daffs (some layered with the earlier bulbs), all the way to large narcissi
and tulips come April. I've overplanted the larger tubs with winter
flowering violas, of a variety of colours. I have also planted up my pots
of hyacinths - I get a new bag each year and add them to the previous
years' lot, so by now I have a *lot* of them. Again all potted so I can
move them to where the colour is needed. I tend to bury them for the
flowering then shift them to the back of the border to wait out the summer
and not have untidy foliage everywhere. So I've got a fairly good
succession from now to May, when things start to take off.

Ok that's the theory! Last spring it was lovely. And I had polyanthus as
well. Why not? :-)

jane

*I've got one called Yesterday Today and Tomorrow, which opens white and
goes purple. Gorgeous!
--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

jane wrote in message ...

Also winter pansies and violas*. I've got waiting in the wings pots of
crocus, miniature iris (yellow, purple and blue), snowdrops, miniature
daffs (some layered with the earlier bulbs), all the way to large
narcissi
and tulips come April. I've overplanted the larger tubs with winter
flowering violas, of a variety of colours. I have also planted up my
pots
of hyacinths - I get a new bag each year and add them to the previous
years' lot, so by now I have a *lot* of them. Again all potted so I can
move them to where the colour is needed. I tend to bury them for the
flowering then shift them to the back of the border to wait out the
summer
and not have untidy foliage everywhere. So I've got a fairly good
succession from now to May, when things start to take off.

I've used pansies and violas this year, along with primulas, and have a
wonderful show now. I hope they will last all winter.

Mike
www.british-naturism.org.uk

On Mon, 13 Oct 2003 18:18:20 +0100, "Mike" wrote:

During the Summer I had "Impatiens" and "Verbena" around a grass border and
I dug up the plants today.

I would like to replace these with something equally colourful for late
Autumn/Winter flowering. The position is open and gets sun.

The only alternative I can think of would be winter flowering
heathers, but they are a bit permanent. The erica carnea and
suchlike do not need acid soil.


Pam in Bristol

Try lots of polyanthus and cyclamen. For reliable colourful foliage, try
lots of the evergreen euonymus. There is one called 'Emerald Gaeity' .. I
think this is the one that takes on reddish tints over winter. Some
Bergenias have red/purple leaves in winter (followed by spring flowers). In
my garden, purple-leaved Heucheras take on a red glow and are good doers
despite the weather.
Interplant with small early-flowering bulbs (snowdrops, crocus, species
tulips) to give you something to look forward to.
Hope this helps.
Spider
Michael Berridge wrote in message
...

jane wrote in message ...

Also winter pansies and violas*. I've got waiting in the wings pots of
crocus, miniature iris (yellow, purple and blue), snowdrops, miniature
daffs (some layered with the earlier bulbs), all the way to large
narcissi
and tulips come April. I've overplanted the larger tubs with winter
flowering violas, of a variety of colours. I have also planted up my
pots
of hyacinths - I get a new bag each year and add them to the previous
years' lot, so by now I have a *lot* of them. Again all potted so I can
move them to where the colour is needed. I tend to bury them for the
flowering then shift them to the back of the border to wait out the
summer
and not have untidy foliage everywhere. So I've got a fairly good
succession from now to May, when things start to take off.

I've used pansies and violas this year, along with primulas, and have a
wonderful show now. I hope they will last all winter.

Mike
www.british-naturism.org.uk