Fill Your Garden With Scented Winter Plants

When choosing fragranced winter flowers for a modestly proportioned plot, size really does matter. Hazel Sillver suggests scented shrubs that won’t swamp your space

DURING the months of December to February and March, when winter holds us in its icy grip, the sight of anything in bloom in the garden seems incredible. And the fact that those flowers that do brave the chill are often highly scented is even more miraculous.

The likes of winter honeysuckle and viburnum exude an intense fragrance that carries on the air. But while these deliciously scented winter flowerers are undoubtedly appealing, many of them are also enormous, and enjoying them can seem unfeasible in the small garden. The fragrant witch hazel Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’, for instance, reaches 10ft x 10ft (3m x 3m), and the honey-scented mimosa (Acacia dealbata) soars to almost 50ft (15m)!

But fear not, be smart with space and you can incorporate even the relative giants, while many fragrant winter plants are considerably more compact.

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