Making Sense of Scents in W12

We are in the midst of deepest and darkest winter. It is bleak outside and if the ground isn’t hard, it’s pretty muddy. Although nature seems dormant, there is much to observe and tantalise the senses outside. There are fragrant winter shrubs and much loved bulbs pushing through the cold earth which attract and sustain us, as much as solitary bees and insects throughout the winter.

Your guide to 10 winter flowers and shrubs now gracing Wendell Park

Take a journey with me through Wendell Park and I will tell you a story about these plants and people. About two years ago, we gathered, the core group of gardeners who call ourselves the Wendell Park Gardening Friends with a mission to improve and develop the borders in the park by introducing more biodiversity, support our local park keeper and come together to garden as a group.

The north border which boundaries St Saviour’s Church vicarage wasn’t looking much with a fallen tree and a lot of ivy covering the ground and the fences. Spearheaded by Frances, and a determined twinkle in her eye, we worked really hard to clear the leaves and debris from the area and demarcated a border, adding much compost. Frances was keen on a winter to spring border to keep us going through the hard winter months. We decided on shrubs that would bring pleasure when winter seems harsh and spring still a long way off. You will find these shrubs all around the park.

1. The first is Viburnam bodnantense ‘Dawn’ – we have several in the park and the most established one grows against a wall near the Cobbold Road entrance and some younger ones in the north border. It has a fantastic sweet spicy smell born on clusters of small pink flowers. It comes from Bodnant, a beautiful garden in Wales, to which I have distant ancestral connections. Some of the fun of gardening is finding these connections.
2. The next can be found in the north border and the children’s area and outside my front door. It is Daphne odora Aureomarginata. This lovely small shrub is evergreen and has pretty pink fragrant flowers from now til spring. Daphne was a water sprite in Greek mythology who was pursued by the Greek god Apollo. To escape his unwanted attention, Daphne begged the rivergod to turn her in a laurel tree (Laurus nobilis). Daphne means laurel in Greek and the Daphne plant was known as ‘small laurel’, although it is not related to a laurel at all, all quite confusing! Nevertheless, its smell can bring cheer.
   
   
3. Sarcoccocca confusa or Sweet Box is another small evergreen shrub with deep green leaves and attractive white, deliciously smelling flowers in winter through to spring. Then it has pretty purple, red or black berries over summer until it next flowers the following winter. Sarcococca means flesh berry. It is a hardy little plant, shade tolerant and according to the RHS “tolerant of atmospheric pollution, dry shade and neglect.” S. confusa ‘Little Gem’ is a useful variety.
   
   
4. Next in our north border and flowering now is witch hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’). I love this plant for its spidery golden flowers – there are also many other varieties with colours from orange, pink to red – and its therapeutic and healing properties. It is deciduous and this cultivar has strong citrusy fragrant winter flowers along its stems until spring when leaves appear and these turn a spectacular buttery yellow in autumn. Hamamelis means ‘together with fruit’ referring to flowers and fruit from the previous year occurring together. The witch in its common name has its origins in Old English ‘wice’ meaning ‘pliant’ or ‘bendable’ and the twigs were used as divining rods. Extracts of the plant made the witch-hazel ointment and remedies in years gone by.
   
   
5. Winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum – pictured above) is another favourite to brighten up a winter’s day. Its lemon, yellow flowers appear on the stems of this vigorous climber from November until March. The deciduous shrub needs pruning back after flowering and is happy to scramble over fences and walls. The plant originates from China where it is called Yingchun – flower that welcomes spring.
   
   
6. Winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) is another bush with a lovely smell. It is also known as ‘sweet breath of spring’.  Rather than its rambling summer counterpart, this is a deciduous shrub which can grow to 2 m. It can be deciduous or evergreen in a mild winter and doesn’t mind partial shade. It was introduced to the UK by a Scottish plant hunter in 1845 called Robert Fortune, also known for his cunning acts of biopiracy, with the shaved head and ponytail he wore to blend into China. 
   
   
7. Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) is the next plant which imparts a strong sweet smell from creamy yellow flowers.  They turn into nuts over the summer.  Like winter honeysuckle and winter jasmine, this plant also originates from China where it is revered and its dried flowers used to scent linen, similar to lavender. Its starry flowers give a strong pungent smell to a winter’s day and Dan Pearson calls it his ‘February fix’ in his Dig Delve blog.
   
   
8. The compact Skimmia x confusa ‘Kew Green’ works well in our north border and its compact nature can also be a good plant for ‘winter interest’ window boxes.  It prefers shade and a slightly more acidic soil so plant with ericaceous compost for best results. It smell is divine and its leaves are also aromatic with a citrusy aroma when crushed.
   
   
9. The two final plants in this list are probably my favourite.  Hellebores (one variety pictured above) with their simple, cup shaped flowers are perennials that appear now and last well into spring. They come in many varieties and colours.  I love the Helleborus odorus and Helleborus niger. They have evergreen strappy leaves which I cut back in the autumn or early winter as the new flowers begin to appear. They can self seed and pop up all over the show once established and don’t mind shade. There are grim and bizarre myths associated with this plant, mainly because it is poisonous. Its name derives from the Greek ‘to harm’ and ‘food’. However, there is a charming legend about a young girl who visited the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. She felt ashamed that she had no gift for him, and as her tears fell to the ground the helleborus sprouted. She picked the flower and gave it to Jesus. Hence its common name Christmas rose.
   
   
   
   
10. And last, but not least, the dear little snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis – pictured above). It gets its botanical name from Gala (milk in Greek and anthus flower). It is a bulb and we have planted in the woodland areas around Wendell Park.  Snowdrops are best planted ‘in the green’ in acidic soil created naturally by leaf mould in woods and en masse to get the lovely carpet effect that can be glimpsed in woods and Wendell Park. This humble little flower symbolises hope and purity.

The sense of smell is closely linked with memory. A mossy woodland smell reminds me of my arrival in warm, damp England after a childhood spent in hot, dry Africa, a sense of arrival and a sense of a new life. Winter is a time to slow down, enjoy a walk in the gentle winter sun to replenish Vitamin D levels, observe nature and enjoy the scents of winter.