Scented WINTER SHRUBS
Karen Murphy suggests these fragrant favourites to brighten up your garden
In the darker days of winter, our gardens can look very soggy and unappealing, as most of the plants have either finished their season or gone to sleep. Even evergreens can look a bit jaded. However some hardy plants take no notice of what the weather is doing and produce flowers regardless, their tiny, fragile petals filling the garden with sweet fragrance. Scented plants are also ideal for the smaller garden or patio, where the scent of their flowers or foliage can permeate the whole area. Here are some of our favourites for scent and reliability.
Chimonanthus praecox
Sweetly scented waxy yellow and maroon flowers on bare stems. Hardy to -15°C (5°F). Likes any well-drained soil in sun.
H: 4m (13ft) S: 3m (10ft).
Daphne bolhua ‘Jaqueline Postill’ Slow-growing, semievergreen shrub with clusters of strongly scented pink flowers. Likes well-drained soil in a sheltered position in sun or semi-shade. H: 4m (13ft) S: 1.5m (5ft).
Edgeworthia chrysantha
‘Red Dragon’ Rounded, deciduous and slow-growing with clusters of scented flowers. Hardy to -10°C (14°F). LIkes moist, welldrained soil in dappled shade. H & S: 1.5m (5ft).
Lonicera purpursii ‘Winter Beauty’ Twiggy, deciduous shrub with oval leaves. Clusters of sweetly scented, white, twolipped flowers from December. Fully hardy. Prefers moist, welldrained soil in sun or semi-shade.
H: 1.8m (6ft). S: 2.5m (8ft).
Sarcococca hookerana ‘Winter Gem’ Aristocratic evergreen with glossy green leaves and clusters of sweetly scented white flowers throughout winter. Likes moist, well-drained soil in partial shade.
H/S: 1.5m (5ft).