WINTER’S SWEET SCENT

In the depths of winter’s icy grip, the heady, jasmine-like perfume of winter-flowering honeysuckle, Lonicera x purpusii, wafting on the chilled air, provides a nostalgic reminder of balmy summer days and warmer times to come. Most commonly found in hedgerows, the shrub produces clusters of tubular, creamy-white flowers, with prominent yellow anthers, which hang delicately on slender, almost leafless branches. They are produced in mild spells from December through to March. Part of the honeysuckle family, Lonicera fragrantissima, also known as January jasmine, is another winter honeysuckle, bearing white flowers, followed by ruby or purplish-black berries. The shrub was first introduced to England in 1845 by Scottish botanist Robert Fortune, and was used as an ornamental plant in gardens. In the wild, it is sometimes considered an invasive weed.