Under-planting techniques to bring colour to your garden in late winter

As the sunny colours of the summer vegetable garden fade, the time has come to plan for darker months ahead and consider ways of introducing more colour to the garden in its hour of greatest need.

The earliest months of the year are generally the dullest when it comes to vegetable gardens.

Apart from a few winter brassicas and leeks, most productive plots are devoid of vibrant colours and lie gently asleep waiting for the new burst of spring.