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What would be good to plant in a container that will flower in october and through winter if poss. I want to put winter flowering heather too

[The Garden Shop]

Cyclamen will flower from now until December, they'll add colour while you wait for the heather to flower which they generally don't flower until December.

But embrace the winter months with a mixture of evergreen shrubs and red berries and coloured bark including:
Pinus mugo, dwarf ivy, Juniperus blue star, Skimmia japonica, clipped box, Dogwood and ornamental grasses

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[Anonany]

Helleborus foetidus (which does not smell foetid !) might be a thought. Lovely evergreen dark ferny foliage and green flowers in late Winter / early Spring. The foliage is quite bouncy and spreading so will slightly cascade over the sides of the container.

My potted Schizostylis (bulbs/corms) were flowering well into November last year, so might also fit the bill. Tall, bright evergreen sword-shaped leaves and dainty red or pink spires of flowers.

Another possibility is the miniature fuchsia Lottie Hobby which always flowers from May/June until late December in my garden. A really dainty little charmer and tougher than she looks.

All of the above are easy-care good doers and will survive in a container for several years before needing to be re-potted or divided.

Not a winter flowerer (more like Spring/Summer), but I like to include either plain green or variegated Vinca minor in containers. The small matting/ trailing evergreen foliage helps to keep the weeds out and -- in the case of the variegated -- adds a bit of interest in between the star turns.

You could also include a few early-flowering narcissi and/or tulip bulbs to keep things going a bit longer. I'ld be inclined to stick with the small-flowered daintier varieties as I find the bigger blooms can be a bit too blowsy and over-powering in a container arrangement. However, that's a matter of personal opinion !

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[The Garden Shop]

Hi again Banner.

Cyclamen are happy in acidic or alkaline soils so your fine to plant them with the heather.

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[Greengage]

Heuceras, Skimmmias, Senico, Rosemary, Taxus, Solanum
Flowers, Pansys, Primula, Polyanthus and cyclamen

Just off the top of my head as I fly through recent posts.

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Heathers are fine but cyclamen seems to be dying.Flowers anyway. I dead headed to see if will flower again. Is it the cold, will that kill it it is in an exposed site

[Greengage]

re the cyclamen dying it depends on the variety you got Autumn-flowering Cyclamen hederifoium and C. cilicium grow well in almost any free-draining soil. C. coum flowers from October through to February and into spring, while Cyclamen repandum will grow in leaf-litter in woodland. There is a large amount of Hybrid cyclamen available in garden centers around this time of year for the Christmas market and guilt presents these are strictly house plants and do not grow well outdoors
Very hot rooms and low light will kill them, whereas a bright, unheated conservatory or room would suit them well. Direct sunlight won't do them any harm unlike most house plants. You can let them get very cold as long as the minimum night temperature stays above freezing.
The compost should never dry out, but neither must they be over-watered. Wait until your cyclamen is at the point of wilting, then water thoroughly from below by standing in tepid water, but allow the pot to drain freely and completely.
Remove flowers as they fade pull the entire stem from the tuber, rather than leave a stub which could rot. Stems or leaves may go soft, with a disease called botrytis, if the plant is not receiving enough ventilation. These plants must be removed to prevent all the plants from suffering.
see its easy, oh dont blame the garden centers as the staff might not know these things.