Pulsatilla vulgaris

single stem may be all you need. This is certainly the case with sarcococcas, which fill the air with their sweet fragrance, and what is even better is that by bringing such shrubs inside the warmth and absence of gales intensifies the fragrance.

Winter is rich in scented shrubs. Lonicera fragrantissima is a classic; who would guess that this hulking two-metre brute is a honeysuckle? What a shame that, except for its winter scent, it has little else to offer, being far too big for a small garden, with a stiff habit and leaves as boring as bread mould. But bring a few blooms inside, trim off the foliage and up close the effect is as dazzling as fine orchids. Lonicera x purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ is said to be a more attractive shrub with similar flowers but in a small space I’d still plump for the viburnum or a sarcococca any day. Another ugly brute with knockout scent is wintersweet ( Chimonanthus praecox), which you don’t see much these days but whose translucent yellow flowers have a spicy allure. Alternatively, most of the witch hazels (hamamelis) are magnificent if you have been patient and grown a bush large enough to harvest a couple of decent-sized branches and enjoy those spicy coloured tassels displayed in a large fat vase in a hallway or living room.

All such woody plant material benefits from a bit of fiddly pre-treatment (called conditioning) to help it last for a good stint indoors. At the very least, put an additive in your vase water, be it a sachet of special cut flower disinfectant, a dash of bleach and spoonful of sugar. The bleach stops smelly algae blocking water uptake to the stem and sugar is said to feed the cut flowers. Always recut your stems once you get them indoors; a sharp angle will maximise water uptake in long stems especially. The traditional crushing of the ends with a hammer is not usually needed but woody stem ends will benefit from a 5cm vertical cut up the middle to allow better water uptake. Lastly, if your branches are long, before putting them in a vase plunge them up to their necks in a deep bucket or florist’s vase of water for at least four hours to flood the stems with water, which will greatly help with their vase life.

Not all winter bring-ins have to be scented of course – there’s a wealth of bulbs heaving themselves out of the earth now. The little ones especially – the likes of freesias and lachenalia – are better appreciated if elevated for viewing on a tabletop. On a long windowsill try putting a row of glass vases and bottles. They don’t need to match but if you repeat the same flower along the row – just one or two blooms of some narcissus rescued from the mud in each – you will make a memorable statement without resorting to brash bought flowers, and the fact that you have rescued them from the wintery gloom and set them up high only adds to the pleasure. ✤ All parts of the Pasque flower are beautiful – from its ferny leaves to its flowers and fluffy seedheads. Normally purple, a white or red sport sometimes shows up. These come from the rocky alkaline meadows of European uplands, but will grow perfectly in any well-drained neutral soil in cooler parts of the country, though you may have to contact a specialist alpine gardening club for seed.