Amateur Gardening

What to plant now for Winter fragrance

HAVING a garden brings yearround pleasures – even in the depths of winter there is something to lift the spirits. Apart from walking the dog, digging leeks or filling the log basket, there’s not an awful lot to lure us out from the cosy comforts of indoors; but some of my favourite flower fragrances belong to plants whose blooms open on the shortest days of the year.

We’re advised to site these near paths and doorways for easy access; yet glimpses of pale pink viburnum blossom, winter honeysuckle and spidery witch hazel draw me to every corner of our plot. Rambling from one to another, inhaling perfume and cutting stems for indoors – it’s the perfect antidote to winter.

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