20 Indispensable Plants for Winter Colour and Scent

Winter gardens have so much to offer. Designers wax lyrical about woody plants, particularly evergreens, that reveal their shape and volume when herbaceous plants are resting below ground. Nature lovers will draw your attention to thick hedges of ivy, piles of decomposing leaves and log piles that provide a refuge for insects, mammals and amphibians. The plantsman will be found on their knees, pointing out marbling on cyclamen leaves and noticing tiny variations in the markings on snowdrop flowers. Elsewhere, the romantic will catch a faint whiff of Christmas box or daphne in the bracing air and be transported by their sweet, intoxicating fragrance. Add all these elements together, and you have a garden full of riches, if you choose to discover them.

While the summer garden is a smorgasbord to be demolished with relish, the winter garden offers a tasting menu of scents and colours to be savoured slowly. Many plants grown for winter interest are unassuming, even invisible, for the rest of the year, which is why they are often overlooked. It’s usually suggested that you position winter-flowering plants near the house, so that you can enjoy them at close quarters. There’s something to be said for that if they’re compact and heavily scented. Still, I’d also recommend planting them at a distance from the back door, to give you a reason to venture out on a cold day and to preserve such prestigious positions for plants with greater year-round appeal.

Narcissus ‘Rijenveld’s Early Sensation’

Because winter interest plants are few and far between, they ought to be especially cherished. I find that familiarity breeds contempt. When suburbia is splattered like a Jackson Pollock with acid-yellow forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia) and candy-pink flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum), the plant snobs reveal themselves. Sure, their colours are a little brash, but gosh, how we need them after months of gloomy browns and greens. We should learn to appreciate these stoic plants that have evolved to fill a niche in the year when little else is attractive. They are good ‘doers’ and, unlike their soft summer cousins, have an inherent toughness which often means they remain looking beautiful whatever the elements throw at them.

If aesthetics alone are not enough to tempt you into planting for winter colour, consider the wildlife perspective. Dense hedges of ivy (Hedera helix), star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) or yew (Taxus baccata) provide shelter and roosting sites for birds: the bright berries of Cotoneaster, Hawthorn and Pyracantha offer an excellent food source. It matters not if they are native, so long as they serve nature well. Snowdrops, winter aconites, hellebores and early narcissi are magnets for bees.

Arum italicum subsp. italicum ‘Marmoratum’

If you’re gazing out of your living room window, wondering why there’s not more to see in your garden, then the first thing to do is get outside and take a closer look. You may be surprised by a resilient rose or the marbled leaves of Arum italicum subsp. italicum ‘Marmoratum’ pushing through the frozen ground.

If you can find nothing to marvel at, then now’s the time to take action. Apart from spring-flowering bulbs that you plant in autumn, most winter-interest plants can be purchased and planted between mid-February and the end of April, provided the ground isn’t frozen. Snowdrops are best planted or transplanted ‘in the green’, i.e. once their flowers begin to fade, again, in February.

Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna ‘Purple Stem’ AGM

A good way to discover what’s looking good at any given time is to visit your local nursery to see what they're promoting. Keep in mind that flowering plants may have been ‘brought on’ in a greenhouse or tunnel, and so they could be blooming a week or two in advance of their natural timing. Weather conditions also make a considerable difference – many winter-flowering plants have evolved to pause and resume their development in response to air and soil temperatures. A second option is to visit one of the many gardens that open during the winter, including the RHS gardens and various arboreta. Here you will witness first-hand that flowers are anything but the main event in the depths of winter; the smooth, white bark of silver birch (Betula pendula) or the filigree fronds of soft shield fern (Polystichum setiferum) are just as alluring.

Your third option, especially on a cold, drizzly day, is to light a fire, make a cup of tea and peruse the shortlist I've compiled for you below.

Prunus mume ‘Beni-chidori’, the Japanese apricot

If you can find space for five or even ten of my recommended plants – a mixture of trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials and bulbs – you will soon have a winter garden to be proud of.

20 Indispensable Plants for Winter Colour and Scent

Trees

Betula utilis var jacquemontii ‘Grayswood Ghost’ AGM – Birches are stupendous all-rounders and great for small gardens where they don't cast too much shade. Our native species, Betula pendula, is hard to improve upon, but this cultivated form of Himalayan birch is prized for its luminescent bark. To keep it dazzling white, sponge it down with warm, soapy water at the end of winter. Underplant birches with snowdrops, aconites, hellebores and scillas for a fairytale display.
Pinus contorta ‘Chief Joseph’ AGM – conifers are enjoying a modest renaissance and rightly so. This slow-growing form of the lodgepole pine from Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains produces needles that turn bright yellow in late autumn. In spring, they revert to lime green again—a fabulous companion for our friend, the birch, above.
Prunus x subhirtella ‘Autumnalis Rosea’ – this flowering cherry blooms on and off from November until April. Don’t plant it in the expectation of a blizzard of blossom; flowers will be produced in flurries whenever the weather is mild. The blossom is fabulous for early-foraging bees. Plant this cherry in front of a dark hedge or fence to show off the blush-pink blossom. For something punchier, the Japanese apricot, Prunus mume ‘Beni-chidori’ AGM, offers a delicious flash of cerise which is visible from a mile off.

Daphne bholua

Shrubs & Climbers

Daphne bholua ‘Jaqueline Postill’ AGM – Seeing daphnes growing wild in the forests of Nepal and Bhutan was a highlight of my 40th birthday celebrations in 2013. They are slow-growing, evergreen shrubs that prefer minimal interference, so plant them and leave well alone. Producing white flowers flushed with pink in January and February, the perfume from the small, waxy flowers is pervasive and potent.
Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna ‘Purple Stem’ AGM – sweet box is a tough, tolerant shrub that has many virtues. Alas, some of its kin lack the kind of ‘wow factor’ that modern gardeners seek in a plant, but this cultivar has the advantage of pink-purple, flower-bearing stems. Sweet box will never be the centre of attention, not least because its intoxicating honey scent tends to drift so far that people can’t tell where it originates from. You can plant this neat shrub as an informal alternative to regular box, especially in a shaded spot.
Camellia sasanqua ‘Narumigata’ AGM – living in a milder part of the UK, I resist the temptation to recommend plants that are a touch on the tender side. But what fun is gardening if no risks are taken? Camellia sasanqua ‘Narumigata’ produces single white flowers with a pink edge from October onwards. Although hardy to -10ºC, it will thank you for shelter from cold winds and some warmth from a sunny wall. Must have acid soil and/or ericaceous compost.
Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ – there are not many shrubs capable of igniting passions during the winter months, but a massed planting of this superb dogwood, lit by the winter sun, will waken even the deadest of hearts. Pruned hard every spring, almost to the ground, Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ produces a flaming crucible of stems in shades of yellow, orange and red by the following autumn.
Chimonanthus praecox – wintersweet, as its name suggests, is all about the intoxicating fragrance. The flowers themselves are pale yellow and waxy – the colour, texture and translucency of grated cheddar. Slow to grow and sometimes shy to flower. Once it gets going, it’s terrific to have around.
Clematis cirrhosa – Winter-flowering clematis were once a novelty, but now there are several cultivars on the market, including ‘Jingle Bells’, ‘Advent Bells’ and ‘Christmas Surprise’. As the names suggest, you can expect them to bloom for the festive season. C. cirrhosa ‘Freckles’ has white flowers finely speckled with red, and ‘Landsdowne Gem’ is a more heavily speckled, sometimes solid wine-red. These are Mediterranean plants, so they need sun and shelter as well as plenty of space to ramble.
Mahonia x media ‘Lionel Fortescue’ AGM – Don't write off mahonias as dull, prickly shrubs that become ugly and gaunt with age. Pruned correctly, they are helpful for shady areas and require little other maintenance. From late autumn through to spring, mahonias produce long spikes of yellow flowers perfumed like lily-of-the-valley.
Euryops pectinatus – all around the seaside town where I live, mounds of silver-grey ferny foliage are transformed by masses of yellow daisies dancing in the air just after New Year. The sheer abundance of flowers seems so improbable at such a miserable time that one can’t help but do a double-take. Going by the common name of ‘grey-leaved euryops’ - so uninventive - this isn’t an entirely hardy shrub. Fortunately, cuttings root incredibly easily, so a cold-weather loss is a disappointment rather than a tragedy.

Mahonia x media ‘Lionel Fortescue’ AGM

Perennials

Iris unguicularis – The Algerian iris (pictured below) is one of the most unassuming, uninteresting plants in a garden for around ten months of the year – a dense tussock of grassy leaves that will tolerate poor soil, drought and almost total neglect. Then, just as you’re questioning why you bothered planting such a dowdy thing, it starts to produce flowers of the utmost delicacy and brilliance. Each petal is as thin as parachute silk and a sumptuous shade of lilac. Despite their looks, the flowers are completely weatherproof and will last well in a small vase indoors.
Helleborus orientalis / Helleborus x hybridus – although snowdrops attract the most fanatics, hellebores are not far behind them in terms of devotees. It’s easy to understand why. Hellebores can be in flower from February until April, and they come in all shades from white to almost black, although not blue (thank heavens!). Garden centres will be full of beautiful, often expensive cultivars, but if you’re patient, they can be grown easily from seed. Propagated this way, you may get some interesting combinations of form and colour. I have recently planted ‘Anna’s Red’ (pinkish-red) and ‘Glenda’s Gloss’ (apple-blossom pink), but there are new ones being introduced all the time.
Polystichum setiferum ‘Herrenhausen’ – I first saw this pretty, low-growing fern growing at the Herrenhausen Palace in Hannover when I was perhaps fourteen years old. I have adored it ever since. The lacy foliage always looks wonderful, although the previous season’s growth is best removed in March, to allow new, furry fronds space to unfurl.
Vinca difformis – In the event of a nuclear holocaust, you'd have to bet that vincas would survive. The intermediate periwinkle, Vinca difformis, is slightly less bombproof than V. minor and V. major, but tough nevertheless. A fantastic groundcover plant for flat areas or steep banks, it produces ice-blue to snow-white flowers all winter and into spring. A little rampant, so plant where it can run riot without annoying you.

Iris unguicularis, the Algerian iris

Bulbs

Narcissus ‘Rijenvelds Early Sensation’ and N. ‘Spring Dawn’ – there are a handful of plants that I regularly wish I’d planted more of – these two daffodils are among them. Occasionally, they will be in flower for Christmas and certainly during January. Creating bold splashes of colour, even in the depths of winter, these cheerful flowers remind us that spring is only weeks away.
Eranthis hyemalis – the winter aconite is the perfect companion for snowdrops. They bloom in tandem at a time when we crave the sun and recall how splendid our gardens looked last summer. Do not overlook these precious, diminutive flowers. They bring hope, joy and food for our beloved bees.
Iris reticulata – many flowers have a gap in their colour spectrum when it comes to blue. Irises make no such omission. Indeed, they have claimed blue for themselves, producing every shade from the palest ice blue to the darkest ink with some spine-tingling shades in between. The many cultivars of Iris reticulata flower early, thereafter producing long, grassy leaves of little merit. The bulbs are very inexpensive to buy, so plant them liberally – by which I mean in hundreds rather than tens – in pots, troughs, window boxes and at the front of borders – anywhere the blooms won’t get trampled or spattered with mud.
Crocus tommasinianus ‘Barr’s Purple’ – I couldn’t justly compile a list of winter-flowering plants without including at least one crocus. A more ethereal flower it is hard to imagine. Carried on fine white stems, the translucent purple petals form an elegant chalice around a boss of bright orange stamens and stigma. The problem, I find, is that the flowers are rarely upright for long, too readily cast down by heavy rain, snow or marauding animals. However fleeting and fragile their beauty, these crocuses are worth planting in the largest drifts you can accommodate. A stronger, longer-lasting substitute is Cyclamen coum, available in shades of pink and white.
Arum italicum subsp. italicum ‘Marmoratum’ – plants with exotic-looking leaves large enough to rival a fussy house plant are rarer than hen’s teeth in the winter garden. This striking arum is in leaf from late autumn until mid-spring, after which it dies down, leaving short spikes of berries that turn pillar box red in autumn. Toxic to most mammals if ingested, so plant where children and pets are unlikely to venture.