Nothing lifts the spirits on a cold day like a garden filled with fragrance. Even in the depths of winter, a few hardy plants carry on flowering, perfuming the air and reminding us that spring isn’t far away. We’ve picked a couple of plants for winter scent.
1. Viburnum x bodnantense (arrowwood)
This gorgeous winter-flowering shrub starts its spectacular show in autumn, when the dark green leaves turn blazing orange and red before falling. Clusters of fragrant, soft pink flowers then appear on bare branches, providing colour and scent right through the winter months.
Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ is one of the most popular cultivars, happy in sun or light shade and growing into a large, bushy shrub.
2. Hamamelis (witch hazel)
Witch hazels are another group of shrubs that spring into action late in the year, with leaves turning golden yellow and orange in autumn. Scented flowers appear in mid-winter on bare branches, looking like small spidery clusters of orange, red or yellow candied peel. These large shrubs need a bit of space, as well as sunshine and a well-drained, acidic soil, but it’s worth it for that fabulous fragrance.