You could use mounds of purple or variegated sage interplanted with the decorative kales that have

You could use mounds of purple or variegated sage interplanted with the decorative kales that have become so popular. Or plant the narrow- leaved grey sage ‘Hidcote’, with bright green moss, curled parsley and a scattering of pansies for colour.For bravery in the face of the enemy, scarcely anything can beat a pansy. I was watching some in a window box in Elgin in the north of Scotland recently, when terrible westerly gales were ripping through the streets. Though blown horizontal by the wind, the pansies stuck grimly to their posts and continued to fly their standards.

You would not think that such a large flower could stand that kind of battering, but it does.Winter flowering pansies available in garden centres now, are grown from seed sown in May or June, and there are certain seed strains – such as Universal Plus, Floral Dance and Ice Queen – which produce pansies in a wide range of colours. If you were planting pansies with coloured kales, you might choose ‘Universal Plus Ivory Rose Blotch’, which has flowers with deep pink moustaches standing very clearly out on a cream ground. Or you might want to make a more sumptuous statement by planting deep purple pansies amongst arching clumps of the black grass Ophiopogon planiscapis, ‘Nigrescens’. It is evergreen and not more than nine inches high.Height is an important consideration when planting out flower boxes. Flowers naturally turn towards the light, so from inside you are backstage, as it were, looking at the supports rather than the painted backdrop of the window box productiom. You can sometimes get over this difficulty by dropping the level of the window box, but this will depend on the type of window and sill that you have.Flowers are generally happier in window boxes that are in a sunny position, though cyclamen will thrive in shade.

If you have a very dark area, perhaps a sub-basement where you would like to try a window box, think of ferns. You could grow the shiny strap-leaved harts tongue fern together with the frilly, lacy fronds of a Polypodium such as ‘Cornubiense’, which is evergreen Ivy is a natural companion for ferns. Try the pale greyish- leaved ‘Adam’ for a cool effect, or the golden variety ‘Buttercup’ for a warmer display. Scatter snowdrop bulbs in the gaps for early spring.Although plants such as florists’ cyclamen and winter cherry will give instant colour to see you through the next couple of months, before you plant them you need to think about what happens after winter. Set a quiet time bomb ticking under the winter cherries by planting a thick layer of bulbs at the base of the container. You need to plant much more thickly in a window box than you would in a border.

When the display is over, lift the bulbs (which will be exhausted by the cramped conditions) and plant them out in the garden. If you don’t have one, give them away to somebody who has! They will eventually fatten up and get back into flowering fettle.Concentrate on bulbs that perform early – by May you will be getting itchy fingers and eyeing up the summer bedding Think also about the relative heights of the plants. Flowers that are too tall will look ridiculous outside as well as in and will be far more likely to snap off in the wind. Hyacinths are gorgeous in a window box because they are themselves so waxily unreal, and you can cheat the seasons by buying bulbs which are already in bud. On warm still days, you will be able to open your windows to let the rich, swoony smell of the flowers drift indoors.Tulips of the Kaufmanniana family are ideal as they have such interesting leaves, striped and mottled like snakeskin.

They are rarely more than eight inches high and mostly flower in March. Greigii tulips such as the famous scarlet ‘Red Riding Hood’ are equally suitable, as well as some of the showier species, such as T praestans, ‘Fusilier’ Most other tulips will be too tall for window boxes Crocus work well, as do dwarf iris such as Iris reticulata Start winter plants off in fresh compost Old compost is as dispiriting as someone else’s sheets.. It’s a clear, dark night and you wade through the water chest- high. To one side you hear the screams of people plunging into a freezing pool, then the undertow seizes your legs and you start to float downstream.