At this time of the year when the garden is looking untidy, tired and defeated, you can work instant magic with a few well-placed pots. Take a strong evergreen shape, like box, bay or a miniature conifer and under-plant it with winter-flowering pansies. Or for a more dignified picture, use trailing ivies instead as the under-storey. Winter-blooming heathers also look good in pots, individually or grouped together.
When choosing a pot that will be outdoors all winter, go for one that is flared at the top: if the wet compost freezes and expands, it will be able to slide upwards. In a rotund container, even if the pot has been very hard-fired, the swelling compost will crack the terracotta.
Good drainage is especially important for winter containers that may be exposed to days of water-logging rain. Use a good layer of clay shards or coarse gravel in the bottom, and raise the pot off the ground slightly with wedges, bits of slate or "pot-feet".
Pots will need to be watered less frequently than in summer, but check them every few days: wind can dry out a plant and its compost rapidly. And finally, be aware that tall pots are easily blown over, so place them where they won't do any damage, or avoid using them altogether.