Adding seasonal colour to your planters with perennials

Don’t despair if your pots are looking dim and grim. There are plenty of options for you that do not involve the basic winter pansies, like wonderful perennials. While most perennials will not bloom during the winter months, there are many with dazzling foliage that has the ability to spice up your dull pots just in time for the holidays.

Here are a few of my favourites:

Heucheras for partial sun/shade:
Key Lime Pie: ruffled chartreuse leaves that will really pop on those dull winter days.
Electra: similar to Key Lime Pie, only with scarlet red veins in the leaf.
Peach Crisp: well, just peachy!
Blackout: black as night and just as dramatic.

Grasses/Sedges for full sun and partial sun:
Carex “Blue Zinger”- graceful light blue strap like leaves.
Sweet Flag - glossy golden leaves with a slight green stripe down the centre. Absolutely glows this time of year.
Carex “Ice Ballet”- subtle green and gold variegated strap like leaves.
Black Mondo Grass - while not technically being a grass, this member of the lily family has striking black leaves with a green underside and blooms purple.
Blue Fescue Grass - Spiky intensely blue leaves with a flowing growing habit.

Euphorbias for full sun and partial sun: 
Glacier Blue - one of my new favourites! Blue leaves with white edges. A combination of great colour and great texture, all in one plant.
Blackbird - dramatic purple and green leaves.

Other perennials worthy of mentioning:
Wintergreen - this partial sun and shade evergreen ground cover produces red berries in fall and winter along with green and bronze leaves.
Skimmia japonica - this shade and partial sun plant actually flowers in winter! Some varieties have white or dark pink flowers in November and December.
Golden Club Moss - this shade plant is just as it sounds a moss. Like a golden carpet, it is great for under planting existing shrubs.

So there you have it! There are plenty of plants that can liven up your pots beside pansies. So think outside the pot, and use perennials to colour your world.
~Wade Hunter, Nursery Manager