The Best Plants for Winter Fragrance & Our Recommendations

​With the grey skies and chilly winds we are experiencing at the moment, it can be tempting to shut off from the outside world and hunker down beside a roaring fire, but the garden doesn’t shut itself down completely in winter and it is possible to plant a few things which brighten up the drab days and even add some fragrance to the air to draw you outside.
Despite the fact that most of our pollinating insects don’t venture out on cold days, there are a few who brave the weather, and from that we can benefit. There are shrubs and bulbs which flower during the winter and in order to attract those brave insects they have to go all out the give off the signal that they are worthy of a visit. Scent is a great way of plants to advertise that they are in their prime and have something on offer to those insects.
Winter fragrance can range from heady and intoxicating which you notice from several meters away to delicate perfume which you need to stoop down to experience.  As an added bonus winter flowering plants often flower for longer than summer bloomers. 

Witch Hazel (A.K.A. Hamamelis) - A showy shrub which is adorned with colourful clusters of filament flowers in the winter months. This shrub can light up an area or border with it’s blooms and also with the fiery coloured foliage in the autumn.  Fairly slow growing these plants are good as a solitary plant or within a mixed shrub border. Forming a V shape, they need some space to spread out.

Viburnum – The best for this time of year is V. Bodnantense. There are several cultivated forms of this highly scented shrub, the most well known of which in V. Bod. ‘Dawn’. An upright shrub, it carries pale pink flower clusters at the end of it’s branches on and off for November to March depending on the weather. Suitable for the back of a border due to it’s height.

Sarcococca (A.K.A Winter Box) – I am a great fan of this shrub as it offers not only heavily scented white flowers in winter but they are also followed by small black-blue berries and surrounded by deep green glossy foliage. Some varieties can reach 1-1.5m at maturity but if you choose S. Humilis or a similar compact form, it can be grown in a pot and moved closer to the house when in flower.

Mahonia – Mentioned in a couple of my recent articles, this shrub is at it’s best now. The large scented yellow flowers are showy, brightening up otherwise dull borders and the scent is caught by the air and drifts around the garden, particularly on mild days.  There are several different forms available (see my January article for more info).

Skimmia – A very popular shrub, often bought for the burgundy buds found on S. Rubella.  These buds are held into winter and then finally burst to reveal cream blooms with a light scent. Several other varieties also bear winter berries.

Snowdrops – One of those winter scent plants you have to bend down to smell, Snowdrops not only add a delicate white froth to the ground in winter but a gentle honey-like perfume too. Varieties such as ‘Magnet’, ‘S.Arnott’ & ‘Atkinsii’ are noted for their fragrance.

Crocus – A showy bulb for late winter, Crocus add a very colourful splash and lend themselves to being grown in borders, pots and rockeries. They carry a gentle honey-like perfume. Some Crocus have large showy petals and can be combined with winter flowering bedding plants for a good show. More elegant forms such as C. Tommasinianus and is good for naturalising beneath shrubs and trees or in the lawn or meadow.

I hope i have inspired you to add some winter scent to your garden. If you are looking for further advice regarding your garden, please get in touch here

Author: Bel Grierson of Bel Grierson Garden Design Limited

Expert Plantswoman,  Garden and Planting Designer with 21+ years experience in horticulture.  Bel loves to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with those with gardens large and small.​

Bel Grierson offers Garden and Planting Design in Loughborough, Leicestershire and beyond. Bel is an experienced Garden and Planting Designer and Plantswoman with 21+ years experience in the industry. A fully qualified horticulturalist and designer, Bel’s expertise enables her to design, create, rejuvenate and manage beautiful gardens for clients, listening to their needs and desires for the space. Bel offers a flexible service tailored to suit each project and the client requirements. Services offered by Bel Grierson Garden Design include: 2D Garden Design Plans, 3D Garden Design Visuals, Scope of works for landscapers, Setting Out Plans for landscapers, Planting Plans, Maintenance Schedules, Plant sourcing, Planting services.

Bel Grierson Garden Design Ltd is based in the East Midlands and offers services to clients in Loughborough, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicester and across ​Leicestershire, South Derbyshire & South Nottinghamshire.​