winter colour.

Have you thought about some shrubs. My DH has planted our garden (glorified border) with hollies, and dwarf fir trees. The hollies have different variegated leaves, some green, some yellow and some silvery ones. He also has a bush with red stems, I don't know what it is called, but it looks rather nice when the leaves fall. The photo might not be a lot of help, but here it is anyway.

Our winter pansies were planted last September and have flowered ever since lots of colour and very cheerful through the dark months.

Euonymus, evergreen, usually pretty and variegated they come in all sizes, we have lots, good value, slug proof and hardy.
Dwarf conifers, so another evergreen.
Choisya ternata, evergreen with lovely white perfumed flowers, but this does like to grow large(and fast!) but can be kept in size by trimming.
The red stemmed dogwoods are pretty all year round, although not evergreen, and they grow large, but again, can be trimmed. Shrubs are probably the way to go,as they are easy if you don't have much time.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201508/medium-985190-image.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201508/medium-56971-image.jpg

Winter flowering heathers are good. Mine flower from January onwards. If you look in plant catalogues you can find early and late ones.

Winter Jasmine has lovely yellow flowers, all through the winter. It like to be up against a wall or fence. There are also quite a few small bushes that have berries through the winter. Usually the garden centres start getting then in during September.

x

Thankyou so much for the ideas.

Jasmine and conifers have been vetoed (though I love jasmine) (this may be because two neighbouring gardens have been swamped by conifers and she can not get that some of the conifers were planted 35 or so years ago, so may have grown a little in that time) She has lost the concept of being able to cut stuff back so it does not get too big.

We have pansies that have done a year already but the slugs like eating the flowers. I prowl in the rain and chop the buggers in half, but the little slugs are harder to detect. I shall try and pick up some winter flowering pansies if I get chance. Mum will like them in the back garden as well.

I have one heather... I shall investigate another variety.

Anything large is out as well. Any thing that grows fast is likely to induce massive anxiety attack in mum. (she is panicking about the apple and pear trees haivng sprouted since last year... though they have been sucessfully dealt with for decades and the fruit is yet to be picked so it is not time to cut them back yet.)

Euonymous might make the cut if there are some smallish varieties. I have two smallish hebes of the sort that is in the garden of our flats. They are not large there so I am hoping that I can keep them trimmed. must google

I was wondering if I had missed something obvious.

Yes, there are some good small Euonymus, have a Google of them.

thanks

I am very fond of Heuchera. They come in a huge range of vibrant year long coloured foliage, with flowers from spring to summer. They are low growing, but might suit the narrowish border you describe.
garden-photos-com.photoshelter.com/gallery/Heuchera-Stock-Images-Plant-Photos/G0000ssp0.5MAc8k/.

Hellebores and winter aconites perhaps?

I agree with the above posts, I love winter pansies, they are always so colourful and can stand -5 temp, also winter jasmine. Other than that all my plants die off over the winter apart from my leylandiis and my holly. Try a holly bush, they take ages to grow but the lovely dark leaves look wonderful in the snow.

Ah ha.. we have some heuchera.. plain green though and very old... but a good indication that they will grow in the soil, (I recognise the name now you have written it. I had forgotten what they were called. )

Just clicked the link to the heuchera, wow, you are not kidding about lots of colours... I never knew! I am going to have fun with those pictures.

Skimmias - they are small evergreen shrubs with nicely shaped leaves and lovely early scented flowers that turn into beautiful berries.

www.google.co.uk/search?q=skimmia&rls=com.microsoft:en-GB:IE-Address&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMIo-HZ8qjUxwIVgQnbCh0xpAC7&biw=1147&bih=752

Bulbs, corms and tubers underneath low evergreens are good, as many as possible. Not just Spring bulbs, but late alliums, lilies, dahlias, all sorts of things can be crammed in.

Perovskias are beautiful and easy to care for. They look a bit like lavender, which is another good small shrub for poor soil. As are caryopteris and ceratostigma, both out now along with perovskia.

Should have said - they all have silvery foliage that looks good in winter, ceratostigma turns red.

<sticks arms out and pretends to be a zombie>

ooo, more ideas. Thanks.

seem to have also required responsibility for the church jungle garden, so the larger items will be a possibilty. if I can evict the nettles and brambles

just an update to say that two christmas roses fell in the trolley I have bought a couple of christmas roses from Morrisons.