Scented Winter flowers – plants for pollinators

Scented winter flowers – plants for pollinators

Placing a sweetly scented shrub by your front or back door is always a good idea, but it can give you a particular boost in winter when garden joy is, literally, a bit thin on the ground. Bringing a garnished twig or two indoors to pop in a vase will lift your mood too. On a more altruistic note, our friends the bees, as we’ve mentioned before, need food all year. Some species hibernate or pupate over winter and others die off. However you’ll see the stalwarts out foraging at what seem like odd times, even in December and January, and this is increasingly likely with climate change. They’ll love these scented winter flowers too.

Bulbs

Iris unguicularis: is a small evergreen winter iris with lavender blue flowers which give off a faint scent. The cultivar  ‘Mary Barnard’ however, elevates this to new heights with its strongly-scented flowers. These are the colour of violets with a dramatic white and gold stripe and can appear from November to February. Their preference is for well-drained soil and a sunny position. If you have a healthy slug and snail population though, you may need to protect them.

Galanthus (snowdrops): if you’re a fan of these delicate winter wonders you’ll be pleased to know that a couple of them are actually perfumed. Galanthus ‘Magnet’ is said to give off the fragrance of honey. Both this and Galanthus ‘Atkinsii’, with its unusual green, heart-shaped mark at the tip of each flower are most generous with their scent on sunny days. Woodland bulbs in their natural habitat, they’re happiest in light shade. They also prefer to have their feet in a well-drained environment, so if you’re planting them in heavy soil, add a handful of grit to their planting holes.

Evergreen shrubs

Sarcoccoca: there are several types of Christmas or sweet box, cultivated for their discreet but powerfully-scented flowers. These shrubs are brilliant all-rounders and have a habit of ‘throwing’ their lily-like perfume. So you might well pick it up before being able to identify the source, drawing you in to a horticultural mystery tour. This is perhaps to better attract pollinators at time of year when there aren’t many around. Plants with small flowers sometimes do have stronger scent. It’s thought that this may be a ruse to make up for their lack of visual impact and better attract insects.

The leaves of Sarcoccocas are glossy and dark green with a few black berries generally following the flowers.. Sarcoccoa confusa sports creamy white flowers, Sarcoccoca hookeriana has several forms. Var. digna and ‘Winter Gem’, for example, have flowers with a deep pinky red base. They thrive in sun or shade and are fairly tolerant of most soils. Generally Sarcococcas flower in December and January, sometimes going through to March, and will eventually grow to a height to about 1m or just under.

Mahonia: these slow-growing and long-flowering plants can cope with sun or shade and even the dark, dry areas under trees, depending on which species you choose. As if to advertise their toughness, most have hard, spiny leaves which create a strong architectural feature in the winter garden. The sprigs of flowers, with their scent reminiscent of lily-of the-valley, are often followed by blue-black berries with a sloe-like bloom. The flowers of winter bloomers Mahonia x media ‘Winter Sun’ and Mahonia x media ‘Charity’ are bright yellow. With an eventual height and spread of about 3m x 2m, they prefer full sun or part shade.  Mahonia japonica also is smaller at approximately 1m x 2m and even in full shade shoots out pale lemon yellow flowers, often from November through to March.

Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’: Daphnes usually flower in late winter or early spring, although there are some summer bloomers. Like the occasional celeb, they have a reputation for being a teensy bit tricky and sensitive. Famous for their highly-scented flowers rather than appearing on the telly, they too can be cajoled into a stupendous performance with the right sort of love. They also have unusual four-petalled flowers. ‘Jacqueline Postill’, with pink flowers in late winter, gradually reaches a height and spread of about 2m x 1.5m. If you’d prefer white flowers, ‘Darjeeling’ is bigger at a final height of 3m.

For growing tips see here: https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/six-of-the-best-daphnes-to-grow/

Deciduous shrubs

Lonicera × purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ (winter honeysuckle): unlike your normal, run-of-the-mill summer honeysuckle, this isn’t a climber but a bush. From early December, and sometimes through to April if it feels so inclined, winter honeysuckle displays creamy white flowers on its bare, woody stems. And like your normal run-of-the-mill climbing honeysuckle, these are rich in nectar. Wafting out a strong, sweet fragrance, it’s happy in sun or dappled shade. Eventual height and spread are approximately 2m x 3m but it can be pruned in late spring after flowering if you feel it’s getting a bit out of hand.

Edgworthia chrysantha: displaying its sunny yellow blooms from late winter to early spring, Edgeworthia will thrive in moist soil and full sun to part shade. The first time I came across it was at Kew Gardens when I found myself sniffing around like a tracker hound trying to discover where the extraordinary, heady, sweet scent was coming from. It has rounded flower heads, each containing multiple small flowers. Related to Daphnes, it too has unusual four-petalled flowers. However, if you look closely you’ll see that Edgeworthia’s petals have the strange but added attraction of being slightly furry. Also known as the paperbush, its bark was once used to make high quality paper for bank notes in Japan. Height and spread up to 1.5m.

Viburnum x bodnantense: another winter wonder with a rich, spicy scent. This upright shrub, which looks more like a very small tree, has dense clusters of fragrant, dark pink buds opening to paler pink flowers. These appear, usually on bare stems, from November to March. ‘Dawn’ is the most commonly available and popular cultivar. It’s happiest in a sunny spot but will also do well in part shade, reaching a height and spread of 3m x 2m over 10-20 years. Fairly slow-growing, but can be carefully pruned after flowering if it starts to get a bit too big for its boots.

Hamamelis x intermedia (witch hazel): source of the skin tonic said to reduce inflammation and irritation of the skin and even help with bruising. Producing their spidery flowers on bare wood, not all witch hazels are scented. However, the glowing yellow-orange flowers of Hamamelis × intermedia ‘Vesna’ give off a powerful scent from December through to March and the leaves turn a fiery red before falling in autumn. It eventually grows up to 3m tall but has an upright habit that suits smallish gardens. Hammamellis x intermedia ‘Pallida’ has pale yellow flowers in January and February and reaches approximately 3m x 3m after 10-20 years. Full sun or part shade.

Chimonanthus praecox (wintersweet): its slightly strange-looking yellow flowers add to the charm of this deciduous shrub, although its main attraction is its citrusy fragrance. A late winter bloomer, it likes a sunny spot and benefits from the additional warmth of a south or west-facing wall. The foliage is aromatic, too. If you prune it straight after flowering you’ll increase its display next year and, it’s said, boost its perfume potential too. Appreciates well-drained soil. Height and spread up to 2.5m.

And indoors….

Hyacinths and scented daffodils such as Narcissus papyraceus (paperwhites) bloom outside in spring, but you can bring specially prepared bulbs into flower early for an indoor winter display by ‘forcing’ them in autumn. You’ll find details here:

https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-hyacinths/

https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/nine-spring-bulbs-to-force-in-autumn/

Lots of scented winter-flowerers aren’t evergreen but they’re still worth having, even in a small garden. And you can make the most of limited space by using them as a framework for small summer flowering climbers. Make sure you plant them somewhere you regularly pass by, such as on the front path or by the front door, and you’ll be glad you did so when you get an olfactory burst of happiness on a cold, gloomy day. Hungry pollinators will thank you too.

And if you want to see how the experts do it, a trip to Cambridge Botanic Gardens Winter Garden is a treat on a winter’s day.

https://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/the-garden/gardens-plantings/winter-garden/