Now that the glow of holiday lights has dimmed, and with gray winter skies above us, gardeners may want a little pick-me-up. Fortunately, the climate of Coastal Virginia allows us to grow many plants that flower in winter, a good number of which have the bonus of sweet fragrance.
One of the easiest of these winter bloomers is Mahonia, which is often called grape holly, and the best of them in my opinion is “Winter Sun.” The flower clusters are a bright yellow and typically begin blooming in late December carrying on through January, and they are nicely fragrant. Later, clusters of dusky blue fruit will ripen, vaguely resembling small grapes, but these don’t last long as birds make a quick meal of them.
Winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) is another easy-to-grow shrub. It has little resemblance to its vinier ill-behaved cousins. While the small, white mid-winter flowers are not terribly showy, they smell exactly like a bowl of Fruit Loops.
The only tree on my list, the Japanese flowering apricot (Prunus mume), is one of the most dramatic winter-blooming plants due to its size, up to 20 feet tall. They come in many varieties in several shades of pink, red and white, and, depending on the weather, they can start blooming in December, January or February. They do produce a fruit, but it is not sweet and is used mostly for pickles.
Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) rolls the dice when it comes to flowering. Always a winter-bloomer, it opens during mild spells, but if these are followed by severe cold, the yellow flowers can be ruined. However, they are worth the effort for their spicy fragrance.
One plant that has a built-in defense against the cold’s effects is witch hazel (Hammamelis species and hybrids). Its flower clusters are composed of tassel-like petals, and during the coldest weather these coil up for protection, only to extend out when the weather moderates. The showiest witch hazels are hybrids that come in shades of red, orange and yellow, all of which also have stunning fall foliage.
For many gardeners, one of the most frustrating plants to grow is winter daphne (Daphne odora), but it is worth any trouble. Winter daphne has a well-deserved reputation for being fussy. It does not want full sun, nor does it want full shade. It likes evenly moist soil, but it must have good drainage, for a soggy daphne will soon be a dead daphne. Even in ideal situations they can sometimes just die for no apparent reason, even for the most experienced horticulturists. There is even a name for this, Sudden Daphne Death Syndrome. However, one plant in full bloom will perfume your entire garden with most delicious fragrance, and one cut blossom brought inside will do the same for your entire house, filling it with a combination of lemon and vanilla.
I have saved my favorite for last, Edgeworthia (Edgeworthia chrysantha). Although it is in the same family as winter daphne, and likes the same conditions, it is much easier to grow. In December the flower buds appear on bare branches hanging upside down like so many silver bells. As February nears, the buds begin opening, revealing clusters of small yellow flowers smelling of sweet daffodils. As the flowers age the clusters change from upside-down bells into larger golden pompoms. It not only smells good, it is also very showy, and I think there should be one in every garden.
Les Parks is the director of horticulture at Norfolk Botanical Garden.
