Winter flowers?

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I'll start by saying I know nothing about gardening... But today I pulled all the "summer" flowers out of the pots, planters and hanging baskets. For the pots and planters is there anything somewhat colourful that I could put in to brighten the place up for the winter, or even for a while until the cold really sets in?

Any information appreciated, thanks!

looksee

Cyclamen on sale at the moment, just got some today. Pansies and violas - the smaller violas are better at resisting the weather in my opinion. Primulas - try and find ones with smaller, normal size flowers, not the ones with the huge flowers, they don't last long in rain. Put in some early spring bulbs - daffodils, tulips, hyacinths (make sure you get the outdoor ones), muscari/grape hyacinths (no relation) to watch them come through.

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Thank you, I'll take a look over the weekend! :)

OscarMIlde

Violas are great. Pack them in tightly and they look lovely. Really hardy and last for ages. I had some I planted last October which flowered till the end of July. Cyclamen are great, but I find can need a bit of shelter. They'll come back again the following winter if you have them in a bed/border.

Also no need to throw out summer plants if still flowering. Last year my begonias lasted until exactly 1st December when it hit -7C overnight. Also a lot of my begonias in beds grew back this summer. Had some calibrochoas that stayed green all winter and flowered all this summer also.

looksee

Woodies have very nice cyclamen in at the moment.

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I've Woodies amd Choice close enough, I'll pop into both. Thanks again!

billyhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122653558#Comment_122653558

Begonia bulbs need to be dug up and put into storage before the first frost and replanted after the last frost. I wouldn't leave them in the ground over the winter.

OscarMIlde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122657469#Comment_122657469

I'm not advising doing that, I'm just saying they can survive. Roughly seven or eight begonias I left in the ground last winter grew back this summer. It was more to dissuade people from throwing away flowers prematurely based on a change of season. Cyclamens, violas, pansies and primroses are easily available until spring so there's no rush. It's different in spring/summer as sometimes once certain varieties are gone you can't get them.