Winter Scented Plants: A Fragrant Garden Transformation
As you potter around the garden, searching for the first hints of spring, scented plants offer a delightful surprise. You can infuse winter fragrance into even the smallest outdoor spaces, from perfumed climbers scaling walls and trellises to sweet-smelling flowers in pots and window boxes.
Why Winter Flowers Have Stronger Scents
Tony Hall, head of arboretum and temperate collections at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, explains that plants flowering in winter produce much stronger perfumes. "Plant scent is designed to attract bees to pollen. In winter, they must work harder to attract the fewer insects flying around," he says. This results in many winter-flowering plants having a more intense fragrance compared to their summer counterparts. Hall, author of Gardening With Scented Plants, shares the best methods to fill courtyard or patio gardens with aroma during this season.
Expert Tips for Scented Winter Gardens
Using containers is ideal if soil space is limited or the area has hard surfaces. Hall recommends placing pots near patio doors and windows to enjoy their rich perfume. "You can practice nesting by grouping containers together with different sizes, heights, and plants," he advises. Ensure good drainage by adding crocks to the bottom and raising pots on feet to prevent moisture buildup and frost damage. Potted shrubs require minimal maintenance, needing only occasional pruning and repotting every four to five years.
For vertical interest, Hall suggests training scented climbers over fences, walls, or pergolas. "Even in the smallest gardens, you can grow things up walls," he notes. These plants lift spirits, provide early nectar for pollinators, and save ground space. When choosing plants, select specimens that grow between half a metre and 1.5 metres for small gardens, as they will only need annual pruning.
Top Scented Plants for Winter Gardens
- Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox): This deciduous shrub fills an average-sized courtyard with scent, detectable from about 10 metres away. Its bowl-shaped, multi-petalled flowers bloom on bare stems in January and February.
- Daphne: Available in deciduous or evergreen varieties, daphnes come in colors from pure white to dark pink. With an upright growth habit, they suit small gardens, thriving in borders or containers.
- Sweet Box (Sarcococca confusa): Highly scented and evergreen, it produces white flowers followed by shiny black berries. It requires minimal pruning for two to three years in a pot.
- Paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysantha): An unusual, heavily scented, deciduous, and slow-growing plant with creamy yellow flowers. Avoid Edgeworthia grandiflora for small gardens due to its rapid growth.
- Witch Hazel (Hamamelis vernalis): This species offers smaller but more fragrant flowers than larger hybrids, emitting a sweet and spicy scent. It stays smaller, making it ideal for compact gardens.
- Viburnum: Nearly all viburnums are scented. For containers, try Viburnum carlesii 'Diana', a deciduous type with a rounded shape that flowers from March onwards.
Additional Considerations for Small Spaces
For window boxes, consider scented narcissi like paperwhites or underplant shrubs with them. Small daphnes and viburnums also provide fragrance in smaller pots. However, Hall cautions against overdoing it. "In a small courtyard, mixing daphnes, sarcococca, wintersweet, and viburnums could create an overwhelming scent as they bloom simultaneously with powerful perfumes," he warns. Instead, blend fragrant plants with winter-blooming options like hellebores, Skimmia rubella, Eranthis, and Iris sibirica. Use ground cover such as Euonymus to enrich the planting.
