Flush Of Rich Perfume
Landscape|January - February 2018

The pink buds and flowers of Viburnum x bodnantense bring a sweet fragrance to frosty borders

Geoff Stebbings
Flush Of Rich Perfume

ON A FROSTY, sunlit morning in winter, there is a glow in the garden border. Neat clusters of small, trumpet-shaped pink flowers exude a heady, sweet perfume into the still air. This is Viburnum x bodnantense, a tall shrub whose bare, woody stems are covered with sweetly scented blooms. It brings a welcome burst of rich colour to the garden in the coldest months of the year.

This lovely shrub may have flowers early to late winter, depending on the temperatures. In a mild winter, flushes of blooms may start in November. If the winter is cold, however, the buds do not develop, and there will be little colour until a mild spell. If the season is particularly cold, all the buds wait until spring to open, giving a contracted but spectacular display.

Sometimes, the last buds open with the new foliage in early spring. In this case, the flower clusters are not as compact as usual, and the flowers open on longer stems.

Once open, a severe frost will damage and brown the blooms. The buds are tougher, however, and will wait, ready to open once the weather improves. These buds are usually deep pink and open to paler flowers, although this depends on the cultivar.

Choice of three

This story is from the January - February 2018 edition of Landscape.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January - February 2018 edition of Landscape.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM LANDSCAPEView All
Frost-Coated Waves
Landscape

Frost-Coated Waves

A Norfolk garden’s airy grasses and lingering seedheads create an inspiring sight of beauty, texture and movement in the winter months.

time-read
7 mins  |
January - February 2017
The Garden In... March And April
Landscape

The Garden In... March And April

Kari-Astri Davies is settling in plants and sowing seeds to enjoy her garden in the months ahead.

time-read
6 mins  |
March/April 2017
Pots Of Sunshine
Landscape

Pots Of Sunshine

The most joyful early flowers, daffodils thrive in containers, creating bright spots of colour.

time-read
3 mins  |
March/April 2017
Dartmoor's Twisted Oaks
Landscape

Dartmoor's Twisted Oaks

With its ancient moss-covered trees and boulder-strewn floor, Wistman’s Wood exudes an atmosphere of mystery.

time-read
4 mins  |
March/April 2017
Recreating The Living Past
Landscape

Recreating The Living Past

A painstakingly - created model landscapes encapsulates the essence of a rural Oxfordshire vale in bygone times

time-read
7 mins  |
September/October 2017
Landscape

The Wild Mushroom Hunter

Wayne Thomas uses his expert eye to forage for edible fungi in the woodlands of the Wye Valley

time-read
6 mins  |
September/October 2017
Flush Of Rich Perfume
Landscape

Flush Of Rich Perfume

The pink buds and flowers of Viburnum x bodnantense bring a sweet fragrance to frosty borders

time-read
3 mins  |
January - February 2018
Brewing A Heritage
Landscape

Brewing A Heritage

A family business in the heart of the Black Country produces beer the traditional way

time-read
3 mins  |
January - February 2018
Bold Performers
Landscape

Bold Performers

Their striking appearance may belie a tender nature, but a long, colourful display earns Hebe speciosa hybrids a sheltered place in the garden

time-read
6 mins  |
September/October 2017
Mellowed In Time
Landscape

Mellowed In Time

At the foot of the South Downs sits an East Sussex garden where grasses wave in the wind and flowers thread through ribbons of foliage

time-read
9 mins  |
September/October 2017