Project list
Sign in to your account
With project lists you can...
Please sign in or create an account to use Project Lists
By /
At this time of year, your garden can look and feel a little ho-hum. But don’t let the chilly season stand in your way. Rather than wait for spring to add some blooms to your backyard, beat the winter blues with pots of colour and plant-now species to brighten garden beds and borders. This advice and round-up of expert tips on what to plant in winter will help you bring life and vibrancy to your outdoor area, as well as inside your home.
For small and low growers, horticulturist Angie Thomas of Yates recommends a mix of perennials and annuals. “Winter-flowering annuals like pansies, violas and primulas are perfect for dotting around the garden,” she says. “Plant them in drifts in garden beds or mass plant in pots for splashes of seasonal colour.” A coloured medium-sized pot full of pansies is a welcoming sight by the front or back door of your home.
When choosing perennials, the options are abundant, and not limited to florals. “Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) has year-round purple-green leaves and is a wonderful groundcover in dappled shade,” says Angie. “Similarly, Alternanthera ‘Little Ruby’ has rich burgundy leaves that pop throughout the year.”
Two timeless winter blooms are hellebores and clivias. “They’re both tough, flower profusely and are ideal for shaded areas,” says Angie. And to get a head start this season on scent, early flowering lavender varieties, such as ‘Winter Lace’ and ‘Violet Lace’, provide florals and fragrance and grow best in full sun.
If you want Australian natives, horticulturist Bryce Hillig of Local Green Bean (@local_green_bean) has a few go-to favourites. “Pigface (Carpobrotus) and Grevillea ‘Bronze Rambler’ are attractive groundcovers, with interesting foliage and colourful flowers,” he says. They’re great for rockeries or steep embankments. Dwarf banksias, including Banksia ‘Birthday Candles’ and Banksia ‘Honey Pots’ are superb choices, too.
A classic cool-climate winter-flowering shrub is daphne, much loved for its waxy white-pink flowers and exquisite perfume, says Angie. “A position in dappled shade with moist well-drained soil will keep it happy.” For a daphne tolerant of warmer climes, try Daphne ‘Eternal Fragrance’.
Foliage candidates include hostas, brunneras and purple-leafed loropetalums. Hostas and brunneras have striking coloured foliage and are ideal mass planted in low-light areas of your garden. “Cordylines are also great and come in a range of colours, including purple, red and mottled patterns,” says Angie.
A standout native is Acacia cognata ‘Limelight’, with its graceful weeping lime-green foliage. It’s also available in a grafted standard form, elevating it to 1.8 metres. One plant in a rustic or modern pot can be a stunning statement piece for any front or backyard.
For colour and fragrance, Bryce recommends the native wax flower Philotheca myoporoides. “It has dense evergreen foliage with pink or white star-shaped flowers in winter, adding a burst of colour and perfume to the garden,” he says. “My favourite part is crushing the leaves to release the green-apple scent.”
“Japonica camellias are winter floral stars,” says Angie. “Large varieties can grow up to four metres tall with single or double flowers in pinks, reds, cream and white.” Camellias can be grown as a hedge or as feature plantings.
For an impressive display of colour in your garden, it’s hard to go past the orange trumpet vine (Pyrostegia venusta). “This fast-growing climber is covered with bright orange tubular flowers in winter and will easily clamber over fences, pergolas and walls in sunny spots,” says Angie.
Wattles are traditionally late-winter bloomers with golden flowers. “There are lots of species and varieties,” says Angie. “Large wattles can be used as fast-growing screen trees.” The coast banksia (Banksia integrifolia) is another gorgeous native, says Bryce. “Its large, yellow flower spikes are highly attractive to nectar-feeding birds.”
Don’t let the garden have all the fun. Here are some wonderful plants that are set to take your interiors from blah to beautiful this season.
The flowers on this orchid variety range from large to miniature-sized and are available in various colours. Position in a warm, brightly lit spot out of direct sunlight and water as required. It will provide months of colour to enjoy indoors.
Has velvety deep-green leaves and blooms in shades of pink, purple, red, yellow and white. Flowers may be single or bi-coloured and appear throughout the year. Keep your plant in bright filtered light and liquid feed regularly.
An easy-care indoor plant with heart-shaped glossy-green leaves and deep burgundy, pink or red flowers. The blooms appear at various times throughout the year and last for weeks. Prefers a bright spot and water when the potting mix is nearly dry.
What the leaves lack in size, they make up for with intriguing shapes and colours. Foliage can be green, pink or red and patterned with distinct lacy venations, typically in contrasting colours. Position nerve plants in medium-to-bright light and water when the soil is nearly dry.
Calathea’s strikingly beautiful leaves may be variegated or patterned with brushstrokes, splashes, splotches and dots. Medium-to-bright light is best, and some species require humid conditions.
Some products are not available at all Bunnings stores, but may be ordered.
Photo Credit: Juliet Nicholas
Asbestos, lead-based paints and copper chromium arsenic (CCA) treated timber are health hazards you need to look out for when renovating older homes. These substances can easily be disturbed when renovating and exposure to them can cause a range of life-threatening diseases and conditions including cancer. For information on the dangers of asbestos, lead-based paint and CCA treated timber and tips for dealing with these materials contact your local council's Environmental Health Officer or visit our Health & Safety page.
When following our advice in our D.I.Y. videos, make sure you use all equipment, including PPE, safely by following the manufacturer’s instructions. Check that the equipment is suitable for the task and that PPE fits properly. If you are unsure, hire an expert to do the job or talk to a Bunnings Team Member.
