Make a winter container

Having removed the summer bedding from my pots, what can I plant now? Can I reuse some of the loose compost at the base? Anthea Bagnall, Hornsey, London

- Anne Swithinbank

A I love those TV segments on how to improve the ‘kerb appeal’ of your house and often find myself shamed into tidying around the front door. As winter draws near, it is especially important for us to feel happy and uplifted by our homes, and adding some new plants soon does the trick.

I am definitely prone to a spot of canny scene-setting and make a display of pumpkins on the bench near our door, some to be carved into lanterns for Hallowe’en. Fuchsia magellanica and the fragrant white spires of Actaea make a backdrop for containers, and now’s the time to freshen them up for autumn until spring.