So my little balcony garden has more or less run its course. The basil has long since bolted, the parsley is all brown and dying and I'm slowly picking and eating the chillies (which turned out perfectly, thanks Graeme!)

So, now I'm wondering if there is any winter plant I can plant now on my balcony? Either a food plant or a nice flower or two.

I still have nice pots of jasmine, lemon and calla lilies which will keep going into next year I assume...

Advice?

I think fall is the time to plant next year's garlic.

Lots of perennial herbs from thyme to rosemary. Salad greens from lettuce to rucola. Winter greens from bietola to radicchio. Can't think of any fruiting plants that set fruit in winter-- citrus yes, but you'd be a while getting any.

You can plant garlic from November onwards. The shortest day is traditionally the day for garlic planting.

Ramona, depending how cold it gets, and how much winter sun you get, you could, if you want to, grow lettuce, bietola, or any of the zillion kinds of cicoria. You just need containers big - wide - enough to make it worthwhile. They will grow through winter as long as you give them some protection from real cold. It's easy enough to rig up some clear plastic sheet as a sort of cold frame.

I found a zillion cyclamen plants at the local market the other day. With care, they flower right through winter. Very pretty, very colourful, too.

You might need to cover your lemon, jasmine and lilies if it gets seriously cold. Otherwise they'll be there again for you next year. Remember they're going to be dormant, so don't over-feed or over-water.

Coming to this late, but of course you know you can plant all sorts of spring flowering bulbs from September onwards. This last weekend I planted over 100 bulbs in our Lecce garden. Daffs, Anemones, Allium, Crocus etc. Cyclamen I've already planted. As for herbs, my rucola is still growing strong as is my mint, lemon origano and my sage. Now is a good time to plant or take cuttings from rosemary and lavender plants (taking care not to cut into old wood). My basil plant has now moved indoors onto my windowsill in London, and is going great guns and should go through winter without any problems. From November onwards you can plant out roses and there are some types that flower through winter. One of the earliest flowering bulbs is hyacinth, and if you pot one and keep indoors in the dark, it should show early. They have the most wonderful fragance. Have just bought little packs of 100 bulbs for the huge price of 99p in London, so my next visit to Italy will be chucking these randomly into a few holes to see what comes up next year!