Peter Dowdall: Let's turn over a new leaf for winter

'Plants with colourful stems, interesting evergreen foliage, buds, flowers, and berries, make the garden colourful and interesting this season'

Peter Dowdall loves heucheras. There are over a thousand varieties of these low-growing plants. File picture

I'm never yearning for winter in the same way that I yearn for spring or summer. It's rather a case of heading into an Irish winter with teeth gritted. However, the recent spell of beautiful sunny weather that we have enjoyed has — perhaps ironically — made me look forward to the next season.

You see, I have been admiring new crops of winter interest plants arriving in nurseries and garden centres over the last few weeks and it’s hard not to get, just a small bit excited.