Winter flowering pansies.Make sure they are flowering when you plant them otherwise they will not flower until next spring. You may need to dead head at first if you see any signs of them trying to produce seed. As it gets colder they forget about producing seed which makes them the ideal plant for the winter months.

Cyclamen! C. hederifolium are just starting to flower in my garden. As the flowers stop in about November they produce gorgeous marbled leaves. I'd also have C.coum which look very similar, but they have more rounded leaves and "boxier" flowers and start to flower just after the hederifoliums stop.

Snowdrops, polyanthus, variegated ivy, I endorse Scotsgran's suggestion of winter flowering pansies too.

Dwarf spring bulbs such as Iris, Little Gem and Tete e Tete narcissi, Chionodoxa (Glory-of-the-snow), these add welcome spring colour, (Snowdrops may not flower the first year). I find the winter flowering Pansy does very well then have a rest in Jan/Feb before coming back into flower again and the Primulas fill this gap. I a put in a small dwarf evergreen and a trailing Ivy in as well. As well as large pots I also use 16" baskets l. I do not feed or even water these.

Winter heathers also make lovely displays.

Yes they can J if in an ericaceous compost?

Aaahh! Thank you..... I've learnt something ! I always wondered why winter flowering pansies often didn't flower till the Spring after I had potted them up in October/November. I don't think I've ever bought them in flower as it happens....are they often sold in flower?

Yes. You can have pansies or violas. I would go for the brighter colours to show up on wintery days. Pale blue, yellow, orange and pink shades all stand out better than pansies with faces.

Yes you can buy them in flower in the autumn. I find the smaller violas dont come in to their own until the spring whereas the larger universal pansy flowers till Christmas and again in Feb.

Hi Drc726 the universal pansy has disappeared and has been replaced with Mariposa and Delta. Mariposa is better in my opinion. Pansies come in self colours as well as with faces. The face ones tend to have big floppy flowers whereas the self colours are smaller but usually more prolific flowering. The violas are the smallest flowers and I have no personal experience of them in winter.

Silly me a senior moment - as I asked about the demise of the Universal Pansy on here last year lol