During January it is often easy to get complacent about the garden. The weather isn’t generally nice enough to be out and it’s too early to deal with most plants anyway. The last thing we want to now do is prune and stimulate new growth. I generally find myself walking to the car with my head down to avoid looking at all the brown and bare spots in the garden.
But one day a couple of weeks ago as I was doing just that, I was stopped dead in my tracks with a heavenly scent. It only took a glance to my left to see what I had forgotten was there: a Sarcococca rucifolia, also known as sweet box. This got me thinking about other fragrant winter blooming shrubs and it wasn’t long before I had a nice list.
Of course, the first I thought of was the sarcococca, mainly because it was right there in front of me. This is one of the few evergreen winter bloomers for the Pacific Northwest that does best in shade. And it is best placed along a path where that great scent will stop you in your tracks, too. S. ruscifolia grows to about four feet high and wide when she is in her happy spot in the garden. The fragrance comes from tiny white flowers that hang from the branches under dark, shiny green leaves. The flowers open each January and - in a good winter - will bloom until late February or early March. They like well-drained, compost-rich soil, and will do well in containers if they are regularly watered and fed. I would feed potted ones shortly after they are done blooming. If I was smart, I would get a couple more of these great plants and put them together for an even more sensory experience.
The next plant is on my scented list and that is the Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn.’ This vase-shaped shrub can grow as tall as 8 feet with a 10 foot spread, so it needs a lot of room to grow. But like the sarcacocca, it has a delightful scent from very pretty flower clusters. These flowers are pink, though, but they give off a wonderful aroma and made the whole garden smell like spring. It flowers in early December and should continue flowering until late January or even early February. I understand the cut branches can be forced into blooming, which would make it a very pretty addition to a winter bouquet. This deciduous shrub likes regular water but once established could be considered drought tolerant. It will flower better with irrigation. ‘Dawn’ likes full sun or light shade and well-drained soils. If the soil is sandy or clay, this tough shrub will do okay as long as the drainage is good. This viburnum has very pretty fall colors with yellow leaves on a reddish-brown bark.
Winter hazel is also a good winter bloomer for scent … not to be confused with “witch hazel” which I will tell you about next. Winter hazel (Corylopsis) is a deciduous shrub blooming in late winter or early spring with clusters of yellow flowers that hang from bare branches. The leaves arrive after the flowers are done and have a gentle pink coloration that turns green as the leaves mature. Fall leaf color is also yellow. The size varies from variety to variety and spans heights of 4 feet to 15 feet in size, so there will be a winter hazel for most every sized garden. Winter hazels like acidic soil, so they will do well where your rhodies and azaleas do well. Do try to protect them from harsh winds or hot sun, though. Other than that, they thrive on neglect. If you find they do need a bit of help, fertilize in late winter – again after they bloom – with a fertilizer made for rhododendron and azaleas.
Winter Hazel >
The fourth shrub on the list would be the witch hazels (Hamamelis mollis are the Chinese witch hazels and Hamamellis japonica are the Japanese.) For best flowering, grow the witch hazels in full sun to part shade, although they are considered to be understory plants and will do well on the edge of a woodland garden. If planted in full sun, shade the roots from summer heat with a layer of mulch. These vase-shaped shrubs can get to be as large as 12 feet high and wide, so again make room for them to grow. They are easily pruned, though, so don’t let their size hold you back. The witch hazel‘s floral scent is rather spicy and they bloom late winter to early spring. The fringed flowers look a bit ragged, kind of like shredded paper but they are still attractive and unique. The flowers come in several different colors from pale yellow to rich orange-red, depending upon the variety. Leaves appear after flowering but are relatively non-descript, so place them among other deciduous shrubs that bloom later in the year
for the best presentation.
< Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane'
I think the reason these plants all have such wonderful winter scents is because Mother Nature wants to be sure they are pollinated by the few insects that inhabit the winter garden. The fragrance makes them irresistible not only to pollinators but to gardeners as well. So find one type that suits your senses and plant it in your garden. Winter is a good time to shop for these shrubs because you can try out the scent… kind of like at the perfume counter. Then you will be ready for an early spring planting.
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