3 amazing FTSE growth stocks that I buy and hold for the long term

I've been talking about UK growth stocks which I hope will return to yield when the recovery kicks in. Some had a rough start, but I measure their success in years, rather than weeks.

Sod's law seems to dictate that whenever I buy a stock, the first thing it does is fall. That's what happens to a home improvement professional They are not bad (LSE: WIX).

I added the £411m group to my portfolio on 13 September, three days after it posted a short-term profit drop. Shares held up on the day, as the board predicted a better second half. Inevitably, they went down 6% or 7% after I bought them. So it goes.

I will also receive dividend income

I bought Wickes shares because I felt they would benefit from Labour's plans to save for housing, and wider consumer recovery as the cost of living crisis eased and the Bank of England cut interest rates.

Personally, I think Labor will lower its housing targets, but still think the economy will grow.

Homeowners are still hesitant about big green-light projects like new kitchens, which reached Wickes' Design and Installation stage. But with shares trading at 11.44 times earnings and yielding 6.29%, I think they will prove a good source of growth and income over time.

I like to buy high growth stocks when the heat is off, so I just got out JD Sports Fashion (LSE: JD) in January. This was two weeks later FTSE 100– The trackie-listed coach has issued a profit warning following disappointing Christmas sales.

Inevitably, the shares went down another 10% or more after I bought them – sod's rule again! – but now they are flying. I'm already up 35%. In one year, the shares are up 5.87%.

What we need now is to bring back the consumer, both in Europe and the US. That's not guaranteed, of course. I have noticed that he is a giant of a coach Nike is having a hard time, and as an important brand of JD Sports Fashion, that can have a knock-on effect.

Another long-term allocation

However, trading at 12.69 times earnings, JD Sports Fashion's share price still looks good to go. With a yield of only 0.69%, I don't expect to see an increase in income.

The FTSE 100-listed packaging giant Smurfit WestRock (LSE: SWR) looked strong when I bought it in June last year. And its shares crashed again within days, after revealing a controversial deal with US peer WestRock and a dual listing in New York and London. The markets assumed that Smurfit had overpaid to close the deal, and again, I was staring at a double-digit loss. So it goes on again.

I responded by downgrading, and I'm glad I did. While Smurfit WestRock's share price is up just 3.97% over 12 months, I'm up 24.4%.

I think there is still value here with shares trading at 12.67%, and there is a solid trailing yield of 3.54%.

Also, Smurfit WestRock needs a buyer's bailout to open, while there's always the risk that the merger could backfire or we see a backlash against e-commerce coverage. But I think it will prove its worth in the long run.