Winter has officially arrived. But just because the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder it doesn’t mean the colour in your garden has to be the same.

There are several flowers that thrive in cool conditions – and all of them pack a punch when it comes to colour. And, coincidentally, all begin with P – polyanthus, primula and pansy.

Here’s another P word for you – popular. Polyanthus, primula and pansies are the three most popular flowers we sell at this time of year. Probably one of the main reasons they’re so popular, is that they’re all easy to grow.

 At Awapuni we have five bundles of polyanthus available to buy – super nova blue, yellow, red and pink, and a mixed bundle of all four colours. We have four varieties of primula – a mixed colour bundle, ruby queen (red), white and lavender. With over 15 different types of pansy available as I write this, I won’t list them all! But it’s fair to say we have a pansy colour or pattern for everyone.

Now I’ve convinced you of the benefits of growing one or more of these pretty plants, you need to work out where to grow them. All three grow really well in hanging baskets and pots. This is good if you like to move the colour around your home or garden. If you do decide to pot your plants, be sure to use a good potting mix. This will ensure they get a good start a good kick start. And wherever you plant them, just make sure they get a bit of sun.

Planting is easy, just dig a small hole, put the seedling in and space each one around 20cm from the next. You can expect these pretty flowers to add colour to your winter in around six to eight weeks. If you want to encourage more flowering, I encourage you to pick off the dead flowers.