6 scented shrubs for borders

Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Grandiflora’

For many years I grew this deciduous shrub in a nook by my office door and looked forward to the honey – almost buddleja-like – scent that drifted inside from its yellow flower clusters every February. The leaves are rather handsome, too. H&S: 5ft (1½m).

Lonicera x purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ AGM

An unassuming semi-evergreen or deciduous shrub that opens small, pale blooms with a clear, sweet scent throughout winter. In gardens where space is at a premium, add to a hedge or train against a shady wall. H&S: 6ft (1.8m).

Daphne bholua ‘Jaqueline Postill’ AGM

The evergreen queen of daphnes, whose clusters of pink flowers float their impossibly sweet scent in the cool air during January and February. For good results, position thoughtfully in shelter and plant in humus-rich, moist and welldrained soil. H: 8x5ft (2½x1½m).

Mahonia japonica AGM

Best for scent (and a real bee magnet), this hardy, durable evergreen with holly-like leaves is shrubby rather than upright. Keep it to a manageable size by thinning out a few older stems after flowering. HxS: 6x10ft (1.8mx3m).

Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’ AGM

Take care not to be seduced by flamboyant witch hazel cultivars that are of little olfactory merit. Chinese witch hazel (H. mollis) and this beauty – with its sulphur-yellow flowers – are both deliciously fragrant and offer good autumn tints. H&S: 12ft (4m).

Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ AGM

Hard to beat for a midwinter profusion of pink flowers that pump out a rich, honey-almond perfume. A potentially large deciduous shrub, it is tameable by pruning out the odd older stems after flowering. HxS: 10x6ft (3x1.8m).