Image by Koizumi

I’ll let you into a secret: quite a few of the Six Plants to Love for this month smell pretty epic. But if you lined them up before a panel of perfumers, Winter Sweet (Chimonanthus praecox) would have the judges fawning and fighting over its scent. But that’s not all. The flowers are just so beautiful. They look like a little girl’s party dress and are so softly-coloured.

But there’s a price to pay for such a gorgeous winter-flowering plant. You can’t just expect Winter Sweet to turn up and flower right away. No, it needs a bit of patience and nurturing before anything like that happens. So plant it somewhere sheltered and long for the first winter when your garden smells so beautiful you’ll happily sit outside until your hands turn blue.

Vital stats:
Location:
Well-drained soil
Light:
Full sun, sheltered
When to plant:
Autumn
What can I expect from this plant?
Height: 9ft
Spread: 9ft
Flowers:December - March