Amateur Gardening – 29 June 2019

29 JUNE 2019AmAteur GArDeNING 29

6 winter shrubs for scent

Mahonia x media ‘Winter Sun’ AGm

This evergreen shrub has collars of

glossy leaves, and in late autumn and

winter it produces wands of yellow

flowers that smell of lily of the valley

and attract foraging bees. Happy in

shade or semi-shade. H: 16ft (5m).

Chimonanthus praecox

‘Grandiflorus’ AGm

Purple-centred yellow flowers cling to

the bare branches of the aptly named

wintersweet in January and February

• blooms smell deliciously spicy. Takes
  time to establish. Full sun. H: 13ft (4m).

Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’

In late winter, the pale-pink flowers of

this evergreen release an intoxicating

scent, while the glossy, gold-rimmed

leaves add extra seasonal interest.

Grow in sheltered sun or semi-shade;

avoid pruning. H: 5ft (1.5m).

Lonicera x purpusii ‘Winter

Beauty’ AGm

Plant winter honeysuckle and from

December to March you’ll be rewarded

with little white flowers that perfume your

garden with their honeyed fragrance.

Sun or semi-shade. H: 6½ft (2m).

Abeliophyllum distichum

White forsythia is a lesser-known

winter gem that needs to be grown

against a sunny wall. In February its

bare branches are dotted with pale,

starry flowers that have a lovely

almond aroma. H: 5ft (1.5m).

All photographs Alamy unless otherwise credited

Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna

‘Purple Stem’ AGm

A useful small evergreen that grows

in shade, sweet box is dotted with tiny

white flowers in winter – they’ll fill the

chilly air with their high-pitched

fragrance. H: 32in (80cm).

(such as Sarcococca hookeriana var.

digyna ‘Purple Stem’). This is another

space-saving scented option, as it grows

to no more than 39in (1m), but it has the

perfume power of a tree.

And what if you fancy a slightly larger

shrub, such as winter honeysuckle

(Lonicera fragrantissima) or the scented

yellow flowers of the spectacular

paperbush, Edgeworthia chrysantha?

The easiest way to slot these into a small

garden is to grow them against a wall.

The options are plentiful; plant now

within sniffing distance of your entrance

or pathway, and by the time the colder

weather arrives the uplifting scent

of these winter bloomers will be a true

delight, even on the gloomiest days.

GAP