Garden tips for winter garden fragrant flowers
Head Gardener of Mottisfont David Stone picks the top three plants for fragrant flowers from his winter garden. (From The English Garden)
Lonicera x purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’
This winter-flowering honeysuckle brings the fragrance of midsummer to enchant and enliven
the senses on the dullest of mid-winter days. The small, cream-coloured flowers first appear
among the largely evergreen leaves in early to mid-December, and often last well into April.
‘Winter Beauty’ will form a large bush in time, with a height and spread of 2-3m, but can be
confined to a smaller size by judicious pruning in late spring. It seems to be at home in any soil,
and flowers well at Mottisfont in semi-shade. A lovely plant, whose beguiling fragrance
seems at odds with her modest blooms.
Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna ‘Purple Stem’
As its name suggests, the young stems of this cultivar and the midribs of its slender evergreen
foliage are flushed an attractive pinky-purple. Sarcococcas seem to thrive in shade, so are
perfectly suited to awkward north-facing corners where few other plants will grow. They’re also
ideal for smaller gardens and will never outgrow their welcome. The tiny white flowers, which
appear from December to March, may seem insignificant, but what they lack in size, they make
up for in fragrance. Cut a few stems when the flowers are open, and take indoors - they will fill a
room with their sweet, almost citrus perfume.
Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’
‘Jacqueline Postill’ stands at the forefront of winter-flowering fragrant shrubs. I first came
upon it growing in the garden of a friend. It gave off wave after wave of the most amazing
fragrance, which penetrated every corner of her garden. A truly unforgettable experience of our garden tips. The apple-blossom pink flowers, which appear in January and February, are exceptionally large and
showy; and the entire plant, which can reach up to 3m if left un-pruned, is an evergreen delight.
But I would treasure it for its fragrance alone.
HELLEBORUS NIGER
The so-called Christmas rose is one of the first to flower in the
New Year, blooming right up until March. It has white saucers
and bright-yellow anthers, a perfect contrast. To last as a cut
flower, sear the stem end in boiling water for 15 seconds before
arranging. Plant in dappled shade, in neutral to alkaline soil.
These are three beautiful and fragrant flowers for your winter English garden.
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