Plant of the Month: January

Lonicera x purpusii 'Winter Beauty' Common name: Winter honeysuckle Family: Caprifoliaceae Vital statistics Height and spread: 2m (6ft 6in) high by 2.4m (8ft) wide Form: Deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub Soil: Any well-drained soil Aspect: Full sun or partial shade Hardiness: Hardy throughout the British Isles

Several specimens fill the air on calm, sunny days with a delicate, lemony fragrance around the Island Bed in the Hilltop Garden.

Lonicera

Cultivated largely for their often fragrant flowers, the honeysuckle genus, Lonicera, contains about 180 species of deciduous and evergreen climbers and shrubs. Widely distributed in the northern hemisphere, they grow in varied habitats from woodlands to rocky places.

Lonicera was named for Adam Lonitzer (1528-1586) a German botanist and famously the author of Kreuterbuch a German herbal reprinted many times between 1557 and 1783.

Lonicera x purpusii 'Winter Beauty'

Lonicera x purpusii is a cross between two Chinese honeysuckles L. fragrantissima and L. standishii, both of which were collected by Robert Fortune on an expedition to China sponsored by the Horticultural Society in 1845. It was named after the brothers Carl Albert Purpus (1853-1941) and Joseph Anton Purpus (1860-1932), famous German plant collectors. The cultivar 'Winter Beauty' was selected as a very free flowering seedling raised by Hilliers' Nursery foreman Alf Alford from a back cross to L. standishii made in 1966.
Lonicera x purpusii 'Winter Beauty' is a rounded deciduous or sometimes semi-evergreen shrub with colourful red-purple young shoots and paired, ovate dark green leaves. During winter and early spring it produces clusters of very fragrant, creamy, white flowers 2cm (3/4in) long with almost translucent conspicuous yellow anthers. Despite the mass of flowers berries are rarely produced.
Suitable for all but the smallest of gardens, Lonicera x purpusii 'Winter Beauty' provides both colour and a wonderfully sweet scent over a two month period, at a time of year when many trees and shrubs are dormant.

Given the Award of Garden Merit by RHS Floral Committee B and described thus:
'Strong-growing, rounded, medium-sized deciduous shrub with ovate leaves and small, sweetly scented cream flowers 15mm wide, on the bare branches'

Cultivation

Lonicera x purpusii 'Winter Beauty' will grow in any well-drained fertile soil in sun or partial shade, though it will flower more profusely in the sun. The arching habit of the stems means that specimens may become unruly if left unpruned.
Prune in late spring after flowering, as flowers are produced on second-year wood. Cut dead, old or weak stems back to the base of the of the plant to encourage shoots to grow from the base. To keep a balanced shape, shorten one-third of the remaining branches by cutting them back to fresh upright shoots. Old and neglected shrubs usually respond well to pruning and can easily be renovated by pruning back to a low framework in winter or early spring. Plants can also be fan trained when planted by a wall or fence.

Honeysuckles are relatively untroubled by pests and diseases, though aphids may be a problem.

Propagation

Lonicera x purpusii 'Winter Beauty' should be propagated by semi-ripe cuttings taken in summer or by hardwood cuttings taken just after natural leaf fall in autumn.

Honeysuckles can also be propagated by simple layering.

More information

Further information on winter-flowering shrubs can be found by clicking here.