Peter Dowdall: Walk on the wild side and seek out sustainable winter garden bling

'Real garden sparkle comes from those tough, generous, wildlife-friendly beauties that actually belong outdoors in our climate'

This year, when you go in search of some winter bling for the garden, instead of filling trolleys with plants that act like disposable decorations, perhaps you could think a little differently about winter beauty, writes Peter Dowdall. File picture

Stroll into any garden centre or even supermarkets now, and you will be met by shelves exploding with racks of cyclamen, primulas and other heavily bred bedding plants, every one of them shouting in neon pinks, whites and reds. They look great on the shelf, briefly, but they’re as fleeting as a Christmas bauble, and about as useful to the wider garden.

This year, when you go in search of some winter bling for the garden, instead of filling trolleys with plants that act like disposable decorations, perhaps you could think a little differently about seasonal beauty.