Lonicera × purpusii 'Winter Beauty'
winter honeysuckle
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: fertile, humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: average
- Flowering period: December to March
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Clusters of white, tubular flowers with prominent yellow anthers cling to bare branches in the depths or winter and fill the air with a heady fragrance. The scent from this deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub will stop you in your tracks. An invaluable addition to the garden in winter, it is best planted near a path or in a front garden, where its delicious fragrance can be appreciated. Once the bright green leaves appear, this honeysuckle looks rather insignificant, so plant it among shrubs that provide interest over the summer months. - Garden care: Cut back established plants after flowering, removing a third of the flowering shoots. Apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted compost or manure around the base of the plant in early spring.
Helleborus niger
Christmas rose
Bowl-shaped, white flowers in the depths of winter
£8.99
1.3 litre pot
within 2-3 days excludes weekends
Sarcococca confusa
sweet box
Sweetly scented, pure white flowers December to March
£12.99
2 litre pot
within 2-3 days excludes weekends
Chimonanthus praecox
wintersweet
Deliciously scented winter flowers
£12.99
3 litre pot
within 2-3 days excludes weekends
Hamamelis × intermedia 'Pallida'
witch hazel
Beautiful sulphur-yellow flowers
£24.99
3 litre pot - 40cm
within 2-3 days excludes weekends
Helleborus × hybridus Harvington speckled white
Lenten rose hellebore
Great illuminating a shady spot
£11.99
2 litre pot
within 2-3 days excludes weekends
Viola odorata
sweet violet
Sweetly fragrant flowers
£6.99
2 litre pot
available to order from summer 2013
Cottage garden
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climbers
Many shrubs, trees and climbers are showing signs of growth and so it is an ideal time to check them over for winter damage. If you feel they need a little care and attention, here are a few notes to...
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The finest winter-flowering honeysuckle of all, with clusters of pale flowers on bare branches from early spring - a sweet scent for gateways and walls under windows
Val Bourne - Garden Writer