There is a tendency to say we don’t have many flowers in the winter but take really good look. I haven’t had to look hard and have just come across some delightful colour.
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| Helleborus Rose Des Fruhlings |
I've spotted a fabulous viburnum bodnantense ‘Charles Lemont’ with wonderful white sweet bombulous bloom. The fresh blossom sits on bare stems.This is a medium sized shrub standing about 5ft tall when fully grown.
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| Viburnum bodnatense Charles Lemont |
It's not the only blossom to be enjoyed and certainly not the only viburnum. Burkwoodii another deciduous shrub but with the benefit of autumn colour is producing lovely blooms and the reliable evergreen tinus is a mass of snowy flowers.
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| Viburnum tinus |
The Sweet fragrance of blossom should in my opinion be enjoyed all the time it wants to be at the forefront of your garden preferably by the path leading to your front door, delighting as you as you go in and out of your home. The Christmas box sarcococca is absolutely the top scented choice it has been producing sweet blossom since before Christmas and mine is ready to produce another fresh lot of blooms. The blossom itself is not that exciting but the scent is simply gorgeous it scores ten out of ten.The low shrub is also evergreen. Smuggle it into your border somewhere it is totally justifiable.
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| Saracocca |
You must also smuggle in a pretty pink Daphne odora Aureomaginata another brilliant fragrant and evergreen shrub. Remember fragrance is intended to attract wildlife so sweet smelling plants will be beneficial.
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| Daphne odora Aureomarginata |
If you want to be dazzled by an unusual flower look no further than witch hazel. Yes it does need ericaceous soil but it is hardy. If you have the wrong soil put it in a pot. Flowers can be red, yellow or orange and they are remarkable.
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| Hamamelis xinttermedia Arnold Promise |
Springs on its way and therefore the hellebores are gaining momentum. They are simply one of the very best plants in early spring. The variety of colour is amazing, the flowers that hang with a sort of innocence or dangle like little Tinkerbell hats are to die for. See the Rose Des Frulings pictured at the the top. They are just lovely. We have enjoyed ‘Nigra’ the white form for a long time and variants are stronger and more reliable but the increasing variety of new flowers and colour in the hybrid forms is almost addictive.Try these Winter Gold varieties that flower early with such vigour.
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| Winter Gold Collection Helleborus Snow Dancer |
We found the newly emerging bees adorn even the hybrids. Here on the nursery the hellebore bed will be buzzing.
