Blog: Wonderful smells to lift spirits!
There’s nothing better on a chilly day than scented plants in the winter garden. In cold-weather gardening, perfume wafting on the breeze is the icing on the cake!
I’m slowly adding to my collection. Bear in mind, I have a relatively small garden and it’s best to grow these plants near frequently used paths or where you sit – even under a window. As some of them can fade into the background during the summer months, it’s best to grow them in pots. That way, when they’re past their best, you can let them sit quietly out of the way until it’s their time to shine again.
It’s my aim to have some sort of scented plants in the winter garden giving off perfume right through the season until the spring blooms (or aromatic leaves) pick up the slack. You can read more about scented plants around the year here.
Scented plants in the winter garden – Sweet box (Sarcococca confusa)
Without doubt, the best scent in my opinion is that of the sweet box (Sarcococca confusa). It can look a little dull in summer but it really shines in the colder months. The glossy green evergreen leaves are joined by small but very sweetly scented, creamy-white flowers. Mine usually starts to bloom in late December, reaching its peak perfume in January.
It is followed by glossy black berries which stay on the plant for a long time and are very attractive. Plants can grow to 2m, although mine is much shorter in a large blue ceramic pot. Underplanted with single snowdrops, they also start to bloom in January. A wonderful focal point by the new raised pond, the vibrant blue of the pot picks up the colours of the ceramics in the pond wall.
Viburnum bodnantense x Dawn
Another shrub, bought at the same time as the sweet box, is Viburnum bodnantense x Dawn. I love a sale bargain and this cost me next to nothing, probably because it’s completely wonky! I’m slowly pruning it to reduce the height on one side and encourage growth on the other, sadly at the expense of some flowers. Still, gardening’s all about patience!
It’s a deciduous shrub to 2.5m, with dark green leaves and scented, light pink flowers from autumn to spring, from red buds. Mine is in a large pot, so it won’t get so big. It’s incredibly hardy and I have mine underplanted with Iris reticulata Alida.
Scented plants in the winter garden – Bedding plants viola and wallflowers
I’ve chosen two scented bedding plants this season, Viola Pot Pourri Mixed and wallflower Artists Paintbox from Suttons. You can read more about my winter and spring bedding. The violas, as tiny plug plants, were first grown on in pots and are now planted mostly in the new raised beds. The wallflowers too were grown on before planting out. It’s great to see the violas flowering already in January. The wallflowers will flower from March to May, so they’ll join the daffodils.
Also, the vast majority of my daffodils are scented – read more about them in Spring Bulbs.
