Scented Winter Plants

Many people think winter is a time of doom and gloom in the garden. But this is not always the case, particularly in the Adelaide garden we filmed, where hellebores are in flower, together with tiny snowdrops and magnificent camellias.

There are many different camellias in the garden, but the ones currently in flower are Camellia japonicas. These flower from June until October. Look out for ‘Betty Sheffield Supreme’, which has a beautiful pink flower with splashes of white. Camellia japonicas grow best with morning sun and afternoon shade, or under deciduous trees, but they do need acid soil.

Other treasures in a winter garden are the true English snowdrop or Galanthus. They're natives of Europe, need a cold winter to flower and are quite rare bulbs. A plant that's often mistaken for the snowdrop is the Leucojum aestivum, or snowflake. It's a native of the Mediterranean and is taller than Galanthus.

Helleborus, or winter rose, are another plant that feature strongly in this garden. They're wonderful perennials that grow beautifully under deciduous trees. There are many different sorts, ranging in colour from white, through shades of pink, to almost black.

It’s great to have scented plants, flowers and perfumes in the garden 12 months of the year. This means scent can be used as another facet of garden design, together with colour, texture, form and flowering period.

One with scented flowers is Wintersweet or Chimonanthus praecox. It's an upright deciduous shrub that produces amazing starry flowers in winter. They're yellow, with some red in the centre, waxy, and the perfume is exquisite. It's got undertones of violet, jonquil, and a really spicy, fruity, sweet honey scent. A small amount of flower can create an amazing affect on the entire garden. Chimonanthus grow well throughout southern or eastern Australia.

Another favourite scented plant for the winter garden is Osmanthus fragrans, sweet olive or sweet osmanthus. It looks ordinary, there is nothing spectacular about the leaves, the flowers are insignificant, but believe it or not, Osmanthus fragrans smells like ripe apricots. It’s is an upright evergreen shrub to 3 or 4 metres, and should be incorporated in the garden where its perfume can be fully appreciated during the cooler weather.

But it’s not possible to talk about winter flowering scented plants and not include Daphne. Daphne is a wonderful evergreen shrub to about a metre by a metre and it's probably the most popular of the winter scents. It has pretty pink and white flowers and the most delicious, sweet clove smell. There is also a pure white form with a lemon scent. Daphne can be picked to put in a vase inside the house and it doesn’t take much to perfume a whole room.

Daphne can be temperamental to grow. It needs a semi shaded position, where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade, and also likes acid soil and good drainage. Try it in a pot so that when it's in flower you can move the pot closer to the house to fully appreciate its scent.To improve your garden experience place scented plants in the garden so they can be appreciated, even through the cold winter months.

Source:www.abc.net au