Annuals and perennials - the secret ingredient for wondrous winter woodlands

It's that time of year when even the most dedicated gardeners start to contemplate an indoor hobby. Temperatures are dropping, the days are shorter and even your garden seems to be in denial.

But before you pack up all your gardening tools and head inside to hibernate, gardening expert, Tod Palenski, has a tip for creating a cheerful garden woodland in a dreary winter wasteland.

"Now is the time that deciduous trees lose their leaves. And although the leaves look very colourful just before they fall, the bare trees can leave your garden looking a little bleak during winter.

"If you're anything like me, you still want a bit of bright colour and variation in your garden, even during the winter months," says Tod.

"And annuals and perennials are the perfect solution. Mix in a smattering of bulbs, add a dash of compost and mulch, and you've got a recipe for a 'winter gardening sensation'."

Tod has failsafe instructions for planting bulbs, annuals and perennials to ensure your trees look fantastic during winter, and that your garden produces vibrant and diverse blooms all year long.

So let's get started.

"Bulbs love a good cold winter. If they don't get cold enough during winter they won't flower properly in spring.

"So, to give your tulips and hyacinths the best head start, put your bulbs in a paper bag and store them in the freezer or fridge until you're ready to plant sometime in autumn," says Tod.

Now to prepare your soil.

First, remove any low branches from the trees under which you want to plant.

This will give the bulbs and seedlings room to grow and ensure they receive enough light.

Trees remove quite a lot of nutrients from the soil, so Tod recommends digging in a mix of compost and nitrosphoska blue to a depth of about 300mm.

Next, Tod suggests using a bulb basket (available at your local garden centre) to ensure your bulbs don't sink too far in the soil and rot during summer.

Some bulbs, such as tulips, have a tendency to sink and rot while lying dormant, especially if the soil is heavy and wet. A bulb basket means once the bulbs have finished flowering, you need only remove the basket and store it in the garage until next winter.

Now you need to decide what to plant.

"Bluebells, hyacinths, tulips, snowdrops, anemones, daffodils and fritillarias (snakesheads) are ideal for planting in woodlands because they love the shade."

Simply fill your basket with potting mix and plant the bulbs as deep as the length of the bulb to protect it from frost. For example, if your bulb is 40mm long, plant the top 40mm under the soil.

Then dig a hole next to your trees. The hole should be double the depth of the basket. Drop the basket in the ground and bury it.

To ensure your garden is full of colour while you wait for spring to arrive, simply plant a selection of annuals and perennials on top of the bulbs.

Awapuni has a wide selection of both in their Traditional Value and Pop'n'Grow ranges.

For an awe-inspiring garden of annuals set in the shade, Tod recommends primulas, polyanthus, cinirarias, anthirrhinums and wallflowers.

And for shade perfect perennials, he suggests foxgloves, russell lupin, geum, poppies and aquilegias.

Simply plant as per the instructions provided with each Awapuni Nurseries' plant. The easy to follow instructions tell you how deep and how far apart to plant each seedling, as well as how high they will grow.

Remember, a healthy layer of organic mulch (available from garden centres) around your seedlings will prevent weeds, retain moisture and add nutrients to the soil.

Water with a soak hose to prevent the transfer of fungal diseases and, lastly, remove spent flowers to ensure a garden that blooms brightly all year round.