5 Flowers to Plant Now that will Bloom in Winter

These beautiful florals will brighten up the colder months, says Katie Wright.

With the introduction of new lockdown rules looking likely for many of us, and restrictions already in place for some, there are plenty of reasons to feel pessimistic about the months ahead – especially as we inch ever closer to the clocks going back and dreary, dark days become more frequent.

One way to cheer up the chillier months? Buying plants and sowing seeds now that will flower during winter. Whether you’re lucky enough to have a garden, or you’re restricted to pot plants on a windowsill, there are plenty of easy-to-grow options that will deliver an abundance of colour later down the line.

Here are five winter-flowering plants to sow now…

1. Winter flowering pansies

Flowering from autumn until mid-spring, winter flowering pansies are bright and hardy, making them ideal for beginners, and can be grown in flower beds or pots. Fill a window box with yellow, purple or pink pansies to enjoy a daily splash of colour throughout winter.

2. Cyclamen

With delicate flowers in shades of pink, red and white alongside dark green leaves, cyclamen are very pretty perennials and they’ll start to flower from early winter. In the garden, they’re ideal for positioning at the base of small trees and shrubs, but they can also be grown in pots – and make for a great display either side of your front door.

3. Crocuses

Perfect for planting in pots, crocus bulbs can be sown up until the end of November, and will bloom from February onwards, their purple, yellow or white petals poking up through the soil. Many consider them the first sign that spring is beginning to wake up the earth. Alternatively, plant them throughout your lawn to create a beautiful meadow towards the end of winter.

4. Winter clematis

There’s a clematis for every season: cirrhosa is a winter-flowering variety with cream and maroon speckled petals. The climbing plant is ideal for covering a shed wall or trellis, and will bloom from November to February.

5. Christmas rose

Dreaming of a white Christmas? We can’t promise a flurry of snowflakes, but with the Christmas rose or helleborus niger you can have snowy white flowers during the festive season – if you’re lucky. This hellebore variety usually flowers from January onwards, but can bloom as early as December.

Rory the Vet: What your Family Should Consider Before Getting a Pet

TV vet Rory Cowlam advises on how to tell if your family is ready for a pet and how to choose the right kind. By Lisa Salmon.

Vet Rory Cowlam has had an affinity with animals “from day one” and can’t imagine life without them at work or at home.

Now affectionately known as Rory the Vet and a well-known face on TV -playing a leading role in the CBBC show The Pets Factor as well as appearing on Blue Peter, BBC Breakfast and Lorraine – Cowlam wanted to be a vet from the age of four when his family got a great dane puppy, Lulu, who he says was “my shadow and best friend”.

The family had various other cats and dogs (all of them adored, but not quite as much as his “kindred spirit” Lulu), plus chickens and ducks, as he grew up in the Cotswolds countryside. And the Royal Veterinary College graduate now has his own lurcher puppy, Nala, who Cowlam says was abandoned by travellers and found by some children, who contacted the RSPCA, for whom Cowlam is an ambassador. And after she was wormed and given plenty of food, the lucky pup was adopted this month by Cowlam.

She’s only just moved in with him, so she doesn’t feature in his new book, The Secret Life of a Vet, but it contains many other both heart-wrenching and heartwarming tales of veterinary escapades, which vividly illustrate the depth of feeling vets have for many of the animals they treat. Cowlam, 28, admits he’s been known to shed a few tears when he’s had to put much-loved pets to sleep.

Not surprisingly, the affable vet, who shares a house with his younger sister and Nala in London, is a strong advocate of pet ownership – but only if the circumstances are right.

“In my opinion, having a pet makes a family complete,” he says. “Whether it’s a fish, guinea pigs, a dog or a terrapin, they all bring such joy. If you’re looking to add a pet to your family, make sure to do your research and choose the right pet for your family and circumstances. Do this, and you can’t go wrong.”

Here, Cowlam, who qualified five years ago and works at a veterinary practice, discusses what families need to consider if they’re thinking of getting a pet.

How can you tell if your family’s ready for a pet?

“It’s always a really hard decision working out if your family is ready for a pet – it’s not one to take lightly and it’s crucial to realise that if you go ahead, you have to put the pet first.

“A really important thing to consider is the cost associated with having a pet – you must be able to afford it and everything looking after it entails. This includes insurance, food, vet bills and other costs.

“The other thing to consider is do you have the time that a pet deserves and needs? They take up a huge amount of time and you have to consider whether you’re willing to sacrifice certain things to be home for them. If you can provide this though, it’s the most wonderful thing in the world.”

What do families need to consider before getting a pet?

“There are many things to consider, as I’ve already mentioned, but you also must consider whether the pet is right for your current circumstances. Things to take into consideration are where you live, whether you have young children, and whether you have the time and means to look after it. I really do urge anyone considering getting a pet to think long and hard about these things before going ahead.”

What are the best pets to choose to fit your family circumstances?

“This is such a difficult question, as it depends on all of the above. For example, a dog would require lots of time and training, whereas a goldfish requires very little! Make sure to thoroughly research your chosen pet before you adopt it though, to ensure you get the very best pet for your lifestyle. There’s lots of help and advice out there too.”

Which pets should particular families avoid, and why?

“There are few to avoid. I highly recommend rescuing; however, these are not always appropriate for families with young children. Again, please do your research before rushing into anything.”

What are the benefits of having a pet in the family?

“I’m a strong believer that children learn so much from pets that they wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to – for example, social skills and empathy. There are numerous studies that show pets not only help children but also benefit their mental health.

“I also believe they teach children responsibility as they realise they need to be looked after (given food, water, training, letting them out to the toilet, walking them etc for dogs).”

The Secret Life of a Vet by Rory Cowlam ls published by Coronet, priced £9.99. Available now.

11 Ways to Spook up your Space for Halloween

Set the scene for Halloween with pimped up pumpkins and haunting homeware, says Sam Wylie-Harris.

With ‘Halloween at home’ falling on a Saturday, and our own personal sanctuaries setting the stage for the spookiest night of the year – will a full moon in the offing – the idea of creating a little house of horrors has never been so bewitching.

Want to set the scene for Halloween? Here’s how to spin a web of intrigue and get to grips with ghoulish goodies…

1. Pack of Five Halloween Confetti Balloons, £6.95, Graham & Green

Stringing beastly balloons together with black ribbon is a wicked way to dress up the entrance hall for trick-or-treaters, especially when they’re filled with confetti disguised as creepy-crawlies, bats and bugs.

2. Wallsource 70614579 Wallpaper Mural, from £29 per square metre, Wallsource.com

Move over Zoom backgrounds… if you really want to capture the chilling mood of Halloween virtual parties, a wallpaper mural is where it’s at. Made-to-measure and printed on demand to your dimensions, this wonder wall of jack-o’-lanterns in a spine-chilling graveyard is a real scream!

3. Sainsbury’s Home Halloween Collection: Skull Paper Plates, £1 for Pack of 8; Skeleton Arm Shot Holder, £5; Skull Beer Stein, £2; Black Ombre Plastic Wine Glass, £2; Skeleton Platter, £2 (other items from a selection or part of room set), larger Sainsbury’s stores

Devilishly good dining ideas, such as dressing the table with a little skulduggery, keeps adults entertained, as well as the kids. Themed treats, nibbles, skull-shaped snacks and hot dogs topped with gory ketchup will look so much better on a spooky black plate (not to mention wicked wines and shots served in black stemware).

4. Staub 24cm Pumpkin Cast Iron Cocotte Cinnamon, £259 (other items from a selection or part of room set), Zwilling

Not just a one-night wonder, pumpkins are a firm favourite on autumnal menus, all season long. For rustic-style table settings and those devilishly delicious pumpkin soups, curries and stews, nothing beats an eye-catching pumpkin cocotte (with black matte enamelled interior) taking centre stage. Suitable for hobs as well as the oven, it’s also ideal for rustling up a sauce for your pumpkin gnocchi.

5. Emma Bridgewater Halloween Themed Cobwebs and Midnight Spiders 1/2 Pint Mugs, £19.95 each, Emma Bridgewater

When you want to cup your hands around a warming hot chocolate or mulled pear and cranberry punch, only a generously sized mug – that can cope with a topping of frothy cream and cinnamon – will do. These creepy cups are ideal for Halloween hunkering on the sofa.

6. Gold Mercury LED Glass Pumpkin, £29.99 (other items from a selection or part of room set), Lights4Fun

When it comes to glamourous, ghostly ‘shelfies’ and tablescaping, a pumpkin with pizzazz makes a super stylish addition. This one’s made from extra fine glass and will proffer a shimmery, moonlit glow.

7. TruGlow Pumpkin LED Autumn Candle Trio, £19.99, Lights4Fun

Alternatively, this flickering trio made from real wax can be styled with berries, greenery and moss, or placed in the window to project shadows and illuminate your spine-chilling decos.

8. Nordic Ware Haunted Skull Cake Pan, £40.80, and Skull Cakelet Pan, £40 (other items part of room set), Harts of Stur

Don’t trust your cake-carving skills to whip up a beastly bake? Then these skull-shaped cake pans will do the job. Conjure up a red velvet skull and after it’s cooled, serve the cream cheese icing on the side, with gooey, chocolate eyeballs.

9. George Home Multi Halloween Dogs Reversible Duvet Set, from £10, Direct.asda.com

Come witching hour, when things start to go bump in the night, your Halloween costume party doesn’t have to end. Treat the bed to some spooky dressing up too.

10. Johnson & White London 2 Wick Candle, from £53, Johnson & White Aromas

For some grown-up black magic, you can up your squash game by spray-painting baby pumpkins black then hand lettering them in gold. Styled with a decadent candle, scented with bergamot, juniper, heady jasmine and hint of earthy patchouli, chances are you’ll be enchanted.

11. The Halloween Window Stencil Pack (42cm x 42cm), £9.99 (was £20), Snow Windows

It may be a little unnerving for onlookers, but when darkness falls, this wicked window display will certainly set the scene. To create this haunting, misty scene, position the stencil on the window, spray over with a can of Snow Spray (£3), peel off and wait for the squeals.

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