Discover the magic of winter
Treat yourself to a sensory feast in the garden this month. Val Bourne suggests some winter-proof plants to tempt you outdoors on the dullest of days
Treat yourself to a sensory feast with winter-proof plants for fragrance, colour and texture
When the days are at their shortest, the garden becomes more of a showman – not less of one. It’s partly due to the low winter sunshine slanting through the garden like a giant theatrical spotlight, making everything loom large. Colours deepen, so the chestnutbrown rosehips of autumn suddenly start to glow and redden. The tall, bare stems of the Californian tree poppy (Romneya coulteri), lost in summer sunshine, take on a noticeable jade-green bloom. Ancient apple tree trunks, as grey as an elephant’s leg in summer, turn into a mosaic of army fatigues in olive-green, grey, black and beige.
On wet days, raindrops cling to every branch and stem. Early morning mists swirl about like dry ice before melting away to nothing. And when the weather is really cold, frost descends and crinkled ivy foliage, or pleated crocosmia leaves develop a fringe of ice crystals. Any seedhead left standing turns into a shining ice sculpture once the garden becomes a minimalist charcoal sketch. Look carefully on the ground and the plump rosettes of sedums and deep-red spears from herbaceous peonies are already thrusting through the soil.
But there are treats for your other senses too. Stand still on a warm afternoon and breathe in slowly. Plenty of fragrant plants do their best to lure in an early pollinator. Their small, insignificant flowers may come in subtle shades of cream, ivory-white and pale pink, but they still pack a potent fragrance that drifts through the garden and lifts the gardener’s spirits.
In a gentle breeze, you’ll often get a whisper of foliage to soothe the mind, whether it’s from an exotic bamboo, a beech hedge clinging to a few russet-brown leaves, or the swish from a pampas grass in full regalia. There’s the delightful sound of birdsong too; there’s nothing better than a flurry of long-tailed tits travelling together like musical notes, hovering on a stave. ➤
Any seedhead left standing turns into a shining ice sculpture