This is just my personal opinion, but, when compared to the remaining three seasons, winter can be a bit dull - colour wise.

In summer the light is bright, spring is full of vibrant colours, and autumn brings spectacular golden and burnt orange colours.

But it doesn't need to be this way. There are plenty of annuals, which love cooler, shadier conditions and will provide the colour your garden is missing over winter.

Primulas, polyanthus, pansies, anthirrhinums and wallflowers are just a few. But if you're looking for a colourful plant that really packs a punch, then look no further than cineraria.

When it flowers, cineraria produces striking blue, white, red and purplish blooms. If you plant seedlings, rather than seeds, it's also very easy to grow.

Planting from seeds is doable but you'd need to grow them in a greenhouse because they have a low tolerance for variations in growing conditions when they're getting started.

So, let us do all the hard yards and simply purchase your ready-to-go cineraria seedlings from your local supermarket, Bunnings or The Warehouse. Alternatively, order them from our online store and get your plants delivered direct to your door.

The tall cineraria variety grows to about 70cm and the dwarf variety grows to about 25-30cm.

Once you've got your seedlings you need to find a shady, damp spot to grow them in. They don't like frost, so under a tree is usually a good place to plant.

They like similar growing conditions to impatiens. So if you planted these with us in November, simply take them out, dig over the soil and plant your cineraria in the same spot.

Once planted, keep an eye out for caterpillars - simply pick them off, or spray with an insecticide. And watch out for slugs - try using our 'beer bait'.

Lastly, be careful not to over water. Because you will have planted in the shade and the weather is cooler as we head into winter, they won't need as much water as plants growing in full sun.

Then sit back and wait for your arrival of colour in around six to eight weeks - depending on the warmth of your soil at the time of planting.

Once they've flowered, your cineraria will seed down and pop up by themselves in spring. How good is that? A double hit of colour without having to do anything extra. Perfect.