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10 award-winning scented plants for winter

A surprising range of plants not only flower in winter but bring the whole garden alive with their scents, especially on days when the sun peeps through

Early-flowering plants help turn winter in the garden from bleak emptiness into a pleasure to step outside and look around. Some can also add a whole new layer of enjoyment to the winter garden with fragrance.

We've picked ten seasonal RHS Award of Garden Merit winners for their colour and fragrance. It pays to give them all a cosy, sheltered situation to bring out the best of their scent.

Out of season iris

© Dorling Kindersley
The Algerian iris has a delicious perfume
The richest in colour of the winter irises, the strongly primrose scented, rich violet blue flowers of Iris unguicularis ‘Mary Barnard’ open from November to February among slender evergreen foliage. There is a lively, gold-centred white flash on three of the petals. Best in well-drained soil at the foot of a sunny wall; tidy up the leaves before flowering and protect from slugs. Height to 30cm (1ft). 

Plantsman's favourite

Many crocuses repay a closer look (and sniff!) with their delicate, honey-like fragrance
Crocus sieberi ‘Bowles’s White’ Isn’t this a treasure? Pure white flowers shading to gold in the throat with the vivid contrast of orange-red anthers. “The best white and orange spring crocus I know,” said the great plantsman EA Bowles who raised it. Flowers from January, and best grown in a pot of gritty compost and set on a windowsill by the door. 7.5cm (3in).

Scented skimmia

Delicious scent and neat evergreen foliage make this skimmia a useful garden plant
Skimmia × confusa 'Kew Green' has exceptionally large cone-shaped clusters of flowers which are green at first then mature to cream; they open over a long season in late winter and spring with the modestly sized evergreen plants producing a surprisingly powerful scent – but unlike many other skimmias it bears no fruits. Very presentable, aromatic foliage. Happy in shade. Height to 1m (3ft).

Smell it before you see it

These flowers may be small but they pack a powerful punch
An essential winter evergreen, sweet box (Sarcococca confusa) has neat glossy foliage on upright growth. These smart little leaves almost hide the small creamy flowers which line the stems – but their exceptional fragrance gives them away. Performing as soon as the sun peeps out on even the iciest days, it thrives in sun or partial shade and most soils. Black berries follow the flowers. Height to 90cm (3ft).

Heavenly scent

Winter honeysuckle is a tough plant with incredible winter fragrance
From early December even into April, Lonicera × purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’, a prolific winter bush honeysuckle opens its creamy flowers on bare stems. An adaptable and tolerant plant for sun or a little shade, its out-of-flower look is unremarkable but it makes a good host for a summer-flowering Viticella clematis. The fragrance of its winter flowers however, is exceptional, and it makes a valuable addition to winter bouquets. Height to 1.8m (6ft).

Sniff but don't touch

These small bulbs give a hint of spring to come
The large, black-eyed, upward facing white flowers of Ipheion ‘Alberto Castillo’ feature an appealing grey stripe through the back of each petal and have a strong honey scent. Good in pots or in a sunny site for late winter and spring, and also good for cutting. The greyish foliage smells of garlic when crushed – so don’t crush it! Height to 18cm (7in).

A multipurpose witch hazel

Surprisingly, perhaps, many witch hazels provide us with little or no scent – so depriving us of one of winter’s special pleasures. However, the rich yellow-orange flowers of Hamamelis × intermedia ‘Vesna’, redder at the base of the petals, feature an unusually strong scent from December through to March – not to mention fiery autumn leaf colour. Its rather upright habit suits small gardens. Height to 3m (10ft).

Scented snowdrop

Grow these in a raised bed or pick a few for the house so you can enjoy their delicate aroma
A few snowdrops are noted for their special fragrance, and the honey scent of Galanthus ‘Magnet’ is at its most noticeable as the outer petals rise to the horizontal on sunny days. A most elegant snowdrop, the large flowers have an inverted green 'V' on the inner petals, hang on distinctive long, arching stems and tremble in the slightest breeze. Height to 20cm (8in).

Wintersweet's powerful perfume

Chimonanthus produces one of winter's most intoxicating scents
Chimonanthus praecox ‘Luteus’. Trained against a south or west facing wall, where the sun-ripened shoots will bloom most prolifically, the sweet scent of the clusters of unmarked yellow flowers wafts around the garden in late winter. The foliage is aromatic, too. Prune immediately after flowering for the best show and the most concentrated perfume. Appreciates well-drained soil, and is happy on chalk. Height to 2.4m (8ft).

Long-flowering viburnum

Hardy and easy to grow, this viburnum bears attractive scented flowers for many months
My pick of a trio of AGM varieties of the wonderful V. × bodnantense (the others are ‘Charles Lamont’ and ‘Dawn’) is Viburnum ‘Deben’. Its pink buds open to white flowers over a remarkably long period, sometimes starting as early as October and continuing to April. Happy in most fertile soils in sun, protection from icy winds is helpful. Prune, if necessary, by removing whole branches. Height to 3m (10ft).

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Plants in this article

Iris unguicularis 'Mary Barnard'
Algerian iris 'Mary Barnard'
  • 0.1–0.5 metres
  • 0.1–0.5 metres
<em>Iris</em> <em>unguicularis</em> 'Mary Barnard'
Lonicera × purpusii 'Winter Beauty'
honeysuckle 'Winter Beauty'
  • 1.5–2.5 metres
  • 1.5–2.5 metres
<em>Lonicera</em> × <em>purpusii</em> 'Winter Beauty'
Crocus sieberi 'Bowles's White'
Sieber's crocus 'Bowles's White'
  • Up to 10cm
  • 0–0.1 metre
<em>Crocus</em> <em>sieberi</em> 'Bowles's White'
Iris unguicularis 'Mary Barnard'
Algerian iris 'Mary Barnard'
  • 0.1–0.5 metres
  • 0.1–0.5 metres
<em>Iris</em> <em>unguicularis</em> 'Mary Barnard'
Lonicera × purpusii 'Winter Beauty'
honeysuckle 'Winter Beauty'
  • 1.5–2.5 metres
  • 1.5–2.5 metres
<em>Lonicera</em> × <em>purpusii</em> 'Winter Beauty'
Crocus sieberi 'Bowles's White'
Sieber's crocus 'Bowles's White'
  • Up to 10cm
  • 0–0.1 metre
<em>Crocus</em> <em>sieberi</em> 'Bowles's White'
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