Winter is far from dormant; dispel the winter blues; give your senses a treat with a feast of fragrance and foliage.
With some well-chosen shrubs and trees, winter gardens can be transformed into a scented paradise with an alluring mix of warm colours and intoxicating scent. Here are some real winter wonders to plant now.
Paper bush, Edgeworthia chrysantha
Edgeworthia is a deciduous shrub that wows in winter with a multitude of lightly fragrant little flowers on bare stems; each ball is actually a cluster of inflorescences making up cute, colourful pom poms.
Flowering in late winter, shrubs grow to around 1.5m height and spread. ‘Grandiflora’ produces yellow and white blooms or if you are looking for something more fiery try the breathtaking ‘Red Dragon’.
Plant where soil is moist but well-drained with lots of nutritious organic matter to give it a boost. Great for partial shade and hardy down to -5C (23F) this shrub can be a bit fussy but when conditions are right you will be treated to a bauble-like covering of colour and a shrub that basically looks after itself.
Daphne
Daphne is a slow growing evergreen shrub which radiates intoxicating scent making it an absolute must for the winter months producing nectar-rich flowers that are great for early emerging pollinators. Happy in full sun or partial shade, plant daphnes in a warm, sheltered spot that avoids boggy or very dry soil and you’ll be rewarded with weeks of glorious scented blooms.
Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’ is a compact shrub with attractive golden edges to its leaves, producing pink and white blooms that flower from late winter to early spring and the ever-popular Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ is in its prime January and February, showering shrubs in delicious flowers. Close your eyes and inhale!
Winter-flowering viburnum
These low-maintenance shrubs not only produce stunning flowers, foliage and berries but are also highly scented adding a further layer of interest to borders. With around 150 different species spanning the year there is plenty of choice and many viburnum shine throughout winter.
Evergreen Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’ flowers from winter to spring and grows in most soil types and light conditions making it a very versatile shrub to grow.
Viburnum x bodnantense boasts dense clusters of rose pink and white blooms that flower on bare stems and although stems are leafless till spring this shrub radiates intense scent. ‘Charles Lamont’ and ‘Dawn’ grow in moist well-drained soil and produce blooms from autumn to spring.
For large gardens Viburnum farreri ‘Album’ spans around 3m but for a more compact shrub try ‘December Dwarf’ which grows to around 1m tall and wide.
Sweet box (Sarcococca confusa)
Sweet box is a leafy evergreen shrub that requires little maintenance and is a big hit with early emerging pollinators. Dark, glossy green leaves are lined by dainty white flowers that look like little fireworks followed by black berries which are adored by birds. These sparkler-like stems eventually grow to around 1.5m tall and wide making this shrub a great filler for borders.
It can grow in most soil types, tolerates dry shade and is a tough hardy shrub which makes it particularly useful to plant where other shrubs cannot cope with challenging conditions like shady wooded areas.
The main draw for sweet box is the exquisite scented blooms. Inhale as passing and you will be rewarded with a divine strong scent that will put a smile on your face on even the coldest of days making sweet box a ‘must have’ for all-year-round interest in the garden.
Winter-flowering honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima)
Plant winter-flowering honeysuckle around a path or doorway to experience the full force of this powerful fragrance. Depending on variety this shrub can be semi-evergreen or deciduous; shedding most of its leaves but often clinging on to a few stragglers over winter while the flower buds bloom.
Grows best in full sun, but partial shade can be tolerated too, as well as all soil types, as long as moist and well-drained making this a very versatile plant for most gardens. Plants need a bit of space growing upwards to around 2m and covering around 2.5m in width. L. fragrantissima ‘Winter Beauty’ is a popular choice.
Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox)
Wintersweet is often overlooked but this intensely scented shrub flowers throughout January and February with pale yellow pendulous flowers that bloom from bare stems to turn this understated shrub into a shower of luminous stars. Space is needed as it will eventually fill a gap around 2.5 metres wide and if left unpruned 4m high but Chimonanthus is slow growing so there is no need to panic.
Thriving in full sun, wintersweet need a sheltered position, so protect from the elements; a wall is ideal. It does produce fairly ordinary green leaves throughout spring and summer but ignites autumn with a vibrant yellow show. This deciduous, bushy shrub benefits from a climber intertwining around its canopy to bring stems to life whilst waiting for the main event; try honeysuckle or an evergreen clematis like Clematis praecox ‘Luteus’ which has pale primrose-yellow flowers or Clematis praecox ‘Grandiflorus’ which boasts golden blooms with maroon centres.
Wintersweet will grow in any soil type and requires very little intervention so it is a perfect shrub for busy people wanting to punctuate their winter garden with scent; just be patient, new shrubs can take a few years to flower.
Witch hazel, Hamamelis
Witch hazel is an unusual woody shrub that bursts with flamed-coloured tentacle-like petals on bare branches in winter. Witch hazel provides plenty of long-lived drama.
Hamamelis x intermedia is a cross between Chinese witch hazel (Hamamelis mollis) and Japanese witch hazel (Hamamelis japonica); ‘Diane’ holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit and rightly so, it boasts exquisite coppery, spidery petals that exude a heady scent. H. mollis ‘Pallida’ screams heavily-scented sulphur-yellow blooms from December till the end of February.
Witch Hazel likes a sheltered spot but is happy in sun or part shade. They are particularly partial to acidic soil but will grow in neutral conditions. Make the most of this plant by locating it somewhere accessible where you can easily smell it.
Apply an annual mulch of well-rotted manure then sit back and enjoy these beautiful shrubs and trees that will transform your garden into a scented winter paradise.
