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
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 weeks
Sarcococca confusa
sweet box
Sweetly scented, pure white flowers December to March
£12.99
2 litre pot
available to order from autumn 2013
Viola odorata
sweet violet
Sweetly fragrant flowers
£6.99
2 litre pot
available to order from late summer 2013
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Q:
Winter flowering shrubs and climbers to plant with new hedge
Hello, I have newly planted a hedge (made up from Hornbeam, Rosa rugosa, Blackthorn, Cornus, Hawthorn and Hazel) about 50ft long. I have been told that if I was to plant amongst the hedge some winter flowering Clematis such as 'Wisley Cream' it would give some nice colour these bleak winter months when the hedge is bare of foliage. The hedge is south facing and although the ground is ???good??? heavy Cambridgeshire clay the hedge has been planted in a trench back filled with leaf mulch, chipped wood and spent peat. Although I have said about in-planting Clematis in the hedge, I am open to other plant suggestions if you have any. Regards TerryAsked on 12/31/2009 by Terry Allum1 answer
A:
Hello Terry, If you click on the following link it will take you to all our winter flowering climbers - of which the Jasminum is tougher and more like a shrub. http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/climbers/plcid.15/vid.204/ Alternatively, this link will take you to all our winter flowering shrubs. http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/shrubs/plcid.1/vid.204/ I hope this helps. Helen Plant DoctorAnswered on 1/5/2010 by Crocus Helpdesk
Q:
Plants to deter cats
Hello, my tiny terrace garden was recently made over at some expense but my 2 beloved moggies have ruined the one flower bed by using it as a loo-I am about to spend yet more money on having it cleaned up but how do I deter the cats from ruining it again? They are outdoor cats and use the catflap and there is nowhere indoors to put a litter tray anyway. Friends suggested several centimetres of woodchips? on the soil would put them off but I would value your advice before I invest. Also, which perfumed lilies are poisonous to cats?-or are they all? I am not thinking of poisoning the 2 moggies but I would like some lilies in pots but not if they are going to harm the cats. Also, suggestions of perfumed climbing shrubs that will stand shade. Many thanks SoniaAsked on 7/23/2009 by Sonia Richardson1 answer
A:
Hello There, There are a couple of ways you can deter cats from the garden. Firstly you can plant lots of things that have spines or thorns, thus making it awkward for them to dig in - here are some of my favourites. Pyracantha's are ideal - this is a prickly wall shrub that has small white flowers which become fabulous red berries in autumn. http://www.crocus.co.uk/findplant/results/?CommonName=pyracantha Berberis is another good choice: http://www.crocus.co.uk/findplant/results/?CommonName=berberis Chaenomeles: http://www.crocus.co.uk/findplant/results/?CommonName=chaenomeles Ilex (holly): http://www.crocus.co.uk/findplant/results/?CommonName=ilex All of the above plants are evergreen (except Chaenomeles), so you will have year round interest. There are loads of cat deterrents on the market that work by scent or water. We have a few on our site. http://www.crocus.co.uk/products/_/tools/pest-control/cats/prcid.87/vid.484/ Other methods that you could try include sprinkling curry powder around the boundaries where they frequent, drying your used tea bags and then putting a few drops of eucalyptus oil on them before scattering in the garden. Orange peel when broken into small pieces and scattered around the borders works wonders and it's cheap as does grated, perfumed soap. As for the lilies, I think they are all quite toxic to cats, so they should be avoided. Finally, the best scented climbers for shade are the Loniceras - just click on the following link to go straight to them http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.lonicera/ I hope this helps and good luck! Helen Plant DoctorAnswered on 7/24/2009 by Crocus Helpdesk
Q:
What plants would you suggest for a winter gift?
I would like to send a present in November to someone who loves the garden - any suggestions as to what you could offer? (I previously sent one of your ornamental bay trees, which was very successful).Asked on 10/17/2006 by Jennifer Baldwin1 answer
A:
We do have some lovely winter-flowering plants that would make nice gifts. Just click on the link below each plant name to find out more about that particular one. 'Chimonanthus praecox' http://www.crocus.co.uk/findplant/selectionresults/?ContentType=Plant_Card&ClassID=820&CategoryID= 'Camellia sasanqua Plantation Pink' http://www.crocus.co.uk/findplant/selectionresults/?ContentType=Plant_Card&ClassID=1341&CategoryID= 'Clematis cirrhosa Jingle Bells' http://www.crocus.co.uk/findplant/selectionresults/?ContentType=Plant_Card&ClassID=2000003353&CategoryID= Hamamelis http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/results/?q=hamamelis Helleborus http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/results/?q=helleborus Lonicera x purpusii Winter Beauty' http://www.crocus.co.uk/findplant/selectionresults/?ContentType=Plant_Card&ClassID=4111&CategoryID= 'Sarcococca confusa' http://www.crocus.co.uk/findplant/selectionresults/?ContentType=Plant_Card&ClassID=4367&CategoryID= 'Viburnum x bodnantense Charles Lamont' http://www.crocus.co.uk/findplant/selectionresults/?ContentType=Plant_Card&ClassID=4488&CategoryID=Answered on 10/17/2006 by Crocus
Displaying questions 1-3
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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