Viburnum x bodnantense Dawn is a large shrub for a garden edge and begins to produce its hyacinth-scented flowers in November, which makes it invaluable. In clement years, it will still be in flower at Christmas and cutting won’t damageit at all. The earliest witch hazel is Hamamelis x intermedia Advent and, as long as you have good, neutral soil, witch hazels will grow well after a slow start. Their citrus and marmalade-coloured spidery flowers are completely unaffected by frost and the freesia scented Pallida is particularly lovely. Daphne bholua Jacqueline Postill is another winter flowerer, although it can be risky to cut, so is best planted close to the house, where you can smell it as you walk past.
Winter honeysuckle, Lonicera x purpusii Winter Beauty, is good for picking, with its ivory-white pendant flowers, and wintersweet, Chimonanthus praecox, has highly fragrant, translucent yellow flowers with a dash of tomato-red. As the latter can be badly damaged by cold weather, it is generally best grown in the lee of a wall.
This story is from the November 25, 2020 edition of Country Life UK.
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This story is from the November 25, 2020 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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