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Mmmmm! I opened the door to the patio
and caught a whiff of breath-of-spring.
The warm winter days seem to carry
lingering fragrances so clearly.
Delicious fruity and sweet scents of
flowering shrubs waft through the garden
even in February. Realizing that a few
years ago, I did a bit of nasal research
and added some fragrant winter-flowering
plants to my garden.
Even before the
breath-of-spring opens, wintersweet
announces mid-winter with a potent
fragrance. Tucked behind other shrubs
and ornamental grasses in my garden, it
draws me out for a look. A slow grower
to about 10 feet tall, wintersweet (Chimonanthus
praecox) has waxy, almost
transparent, light yellow flowers with
bright red stamens. Its fragrance is
unmistakable as it announces its quiet
beauty.
Just after the wintersweet
blooms, Japanese apricots (Prunus
mume) begin to open. From their
blooms emanates a spicy, mostly
cinnamon, scent. In our neighborhood the
walkers are treated to the sight and
smell of a white cultivar named Rosemary
Clarke, one of the earliest and most
strongly scented to bloom. Next comes
Peggy Clarke, a double pink with red
stamens that reminds me of Dentyne
chewing gum. They bloom prolifically on
bare branches, the tips of which are
bright green. Small trees in the cherry
family with richly colored mahogany
bark, they reach between 12 feet and 30
feet in height, depending on the
cultivar.
Then I notice the
breath-of-spring, or winter honeysuckle
(Lonicera fragrantissima). The
flowers may be subtle in looks, but
certainly not in smell. It is almost
intoxicating, as even the bees that are
drawn out on a warm winter’s day will
agree. This honeysuckle is not a vine,
but a thick shrub with bluish tinged
leaves that remain on the branches in a
mild winter. The flowers are dainty
puffs of creamy white with yellow
stamens, creating a two-toned look
against peeling tan bark.
From November through late
winter, various witchhazels offer
delicate perfumes and a variety of
bright colors. For the strongest scents,
I plant the winter-blooming hybrids (Hamamelis
x intermedia). The flower’s
petals remind me of clusters of tiny
ribbons hanging from bare branches.
There are several shades of yellow, red,
orange and a new purple. This year I
added one called Orange Peel to my
winter garden. Its citrus-scented petals
curl, as though a dessert chef had
peeled the outer skin of an orange. It
smells delicious enough to eat!
One of the strongest and
sweetest smelling shrubs I grow is also
one of the most temperamental: the
winter daphne (Daphne odora
‘Aureomarginata’). Demanding absolutely
perfect drainage, it will take sun or
shade on its glossy thick evergreen
leaves. Any extra effort is worth the
far-reaching, heavenly smell. Winter
daphne’s leaves have a thin margin of
gold and the flower buds are a tight
cluster of pink, opening to white. Past
icy weather and snowstorms don’t seem to
have fazed mine.
If you have cabin fever in
February, head for the garden center for
your own winter-blooming whiff of
spring! |
