Winter-flowering plants are perfect for adding a splash of colour to the garden in the coldest, darkest months. Many are suitable for growing in pots and some also benefit pollinators, such as winter bumblebees. Here are the 10 most popular …

Pansies – Winter-flowering pansies are a gardener’s staple. They are ideal for filling pots and window boxes for a flash of colour to brighten the dull days. Those with yellow, maroon, white or purple face-like markings in the centre will keep flowering except in the very worst weather. But they will recover and then continue until June.

Flowers: November to March.

Mahonia – Popular with winter-active bumblebees, mahonias bear slender spikes of bright yellow flowers above evergreen rosettes of glossy dark green leaves. Grow in moist but well-drained soil in partial shade.

Flowers: November to March.

Winter Clematis – This perennial climber with glossy, evergreen foliage produces creamy colour flowers with a delicate citrus fragrance. They don’t need pruning, though this can be done lightly, straight after flowering, to restrict their size.

Flowers: November to March.

Cyclamen – These winter heroes can flower from autumn to spring and come in a variety of red, pink and white shades that look fantastic in pots or planted under trees.

Flowers: November to March.

Christmas Rose – Perfect for growing at the front of a partially shaded border, this bears large, round, white or dark red flat-faced flowers above low-growing mounds of leathery, deep green foliage.

Flowers: December/January to March.

Winter Honeysuckle – Another magnet for winter-active bumblebees, winter honeysuckle bears fragrant, cream-white flowers on almost leafless branches. These are sometimes followed by dull-red berries.

Flowers: December to February.

Daphne – This evergreen shrub has yellow-margined leaves and rosy-pink flower buds that open to white, tubular intensely fragrant flowers that bloom in winter and early spring.

Flowers: January to April.

Heathers – Choose winter-flowering heathers for a show that will return each year in wonderful shades of white, pink and purple. Plant them with complementary foliage such as ivy, and flowers of a similar colour palette to enhance the display when in bloom. Heather flowers are a valuable winter source of nectar for bees.

Flowers: October to March.

Winter Jasmine – Perfect for archways or just scrambling over low walls, this scrambling plant with yellow star-shaped leaves can be trained easily with wires or trellis as a climber.

Flowers: January to March.

Viola – A hardy bedding plant that likes sun or semi shade, violas produce an abundance of dainty flowers on neat compact growth for a subtle but colourful winter display. Many violas often have a delightful sweet fragrance too, which makes them perfect for hanging outside your kitchen window, or planting in pots by the back door.

Flowers: October to April.