MAKING SCENTS

CHANGE TO COLDER WEATHER DOESN'T MEAN YOUR GARDEN HAS TO SUFFER TOO

- DIARMUID GAVIN

WHILE we enjoy these autumnal months, it’s a good time to think about the winter garden.

If you dread the thought of winter and can’t imagine your garden producing any pleasure, think again. Now is the perfect time for planting a few choice shrubs and evergreen perennials, which could make all the difference and give you something joyful to anticipate over the darker months.

One of the prizes of the winter garden is scent, and there are some reliable shrubs you could get into the ground now, or into pots. Or bring sprigs of fragrant flowers into your home in the depths of the winter season.

Viburnum farreri is one such plant with pale pink small flowers, but oh what a gorgeous perfume.

It's a deciduous shrub that usually starts to flower in November and keeps going through January and February. It is also low maintenance and can grow in sun or shade.