Gardening: Plan and plant now for a spring to remember | Brian Kidd

The begonia semperflorens were protected by our hedge and they have been absolutely lovely.

Let’s have a look at a few plants which will give us a great spring to look forward to.

Why not plant some daffodils about four inches above the bottom of the pot and then another layer on top of them so that when they bloom, the whole pot is filled with flowers. It’s amazing – the flowers and foliage all finds its way to the top and if they are all of the same variety, they will all flower at the same time.

If you would like a narcissus which is very wind-resistant, then look out for the variety called geranium – it has a wonderful perfume. On top of the pot, plant a few winter-flowering pansies. If you choose a dark blue, this will give you a beautiful contrast of white, orange and blue.

Winter-flowering pansies can also be enhanced by planting hyacinths. The noses of the bulbs need to be an inch below the surface of the compost. If the container is near a door, you will be able to enjoy the perfume early next spring. The hyacinths will come into bloom probably in late February, there will be just a few pansies in flower at that time but there will be a complete coverage of the whole container with pansy flowers in April and May.

What about orange and blue winter-flowering pansies on their own or, if you have lots of forget-me-nots in the garden, dig out a few, plant them on top of the container but before that plant some pink tulips underneath, about four inches apart. They are not expensive and after all you got the forget-me-nots for free!

I’m often asked which of the spring-flowering plants is best for wet places. Primula denticulata is the very best one – it’s available in white, pink or blue. A good plant to go with it is variegated ivy. The reason for this is because the primulas don’t usually have leaves all winter so the ivy prevents the container looking bare but the primulas look brilliant when they come out in flower in the spring.

Polyanthus is a very good choice too. They don’t like standing in water but they will put up with wet winter conditions and won’t let you down.

Wallflowers are not successful if the soil becomes too wet in containers. But don't be afraid of planting out wallflowers because you may feel they are too common. They are excellent as long as the containers are well drained. The great advantage of choosing wallflowers is they are still one of the cheapest and most reliable plants for containers.

Look out for orange bedder, blood red or golden bedder wallflowers and then use the colours to either blend or contrast.

If planted more than five inches apart, you will find one looks after the other in the container and they will all flower together when the warm spring weather arrives. In normal circumstances, the wallflower remains evergreen and noticeable in winter whereas a lot of other plants almost disappear.