Winter shrubs tend not to be showy, but at this quiet time they have their own careful beauty, finds GINA PARKINSON.

THINGS are definitely on the move upwards in the garden, as early plants begin their ascent towards growth.

Winter jasmine has been beautiful this year, flowering for weeks, with plenty more buds to open.

Having enjoyed the mild weather so far this winter, it is now being joined by the first snowdrop shoots in a shady part of our garden. It will be a while before these come into flower, but the anticipation is already there.

On a sunny step by the house, I spotted the first daffodil about to open. The small pot of three or so bulbs had been pushed to one side in the summer and forgotten about until the fat yellow bud made its appearance. They are that old reliable favourite Tete-a-tete, such a good small daffodil that will faithfully appear for months after Christmas.

Warm, sheltered areas will see the first of them open, while cooler shadier areas will extend the flowering period into March and beyond.

As well as the winter jasmine giving a good display of late and early-year flowers, other shrubs are quietly coming into bloom.

Winter shrubs are not the showiest of things; compared to later specimens such as rhododendrons and roses, they can hardly compare for wow factor.

However at this time of year things have their own careful beauty, filling the air with perfume to attract insects tempted out into pale sunshine. We have Viburnum farreri growing by the house. It is an unremarkable shrub for much of the year with upright stems carrying oval sometimes red-tinged deciduous leaves.

In a mild winter, however, blooming will start early with clusters of fragrant white flowers appearing on the bare stems. These will keep appearing on and off through winter and into early to mid-spring, when the best of the flowering occurs.

After this the shrub fades into the background but its sturdy stems make it ideal to trail clematis through. Ours offers some support for late spring-flowering clematis Montana. but this is really too large and tends to swamp anything in its way. A smaller summer-flowering specimen would be a better choice, as it will cut back annually. Another subtle bloomer is Lonicera fragrantissima or winter honeysuckle. As the name suggests it is a fragrant shrub, the tiny flowers attracting numerous insects on a still, mild winter’s day.

The flowering period is long with blooms appearing on the leafless branches from late autumn to mid spring. Their appearance is dictated by temperature. A cold spell will see a sparse smattering, while a couple of days of winter warmth will see an outbreak of the shrub. The tightly closed buds hang on the stems, waiting for any rise in temperature.

Our winter honeysuckle stands in a bed in the sunniest part of the garden, with orange pompommed Buddleia globosa and furry-leafed Phlomis. It would, however, be ideal grown as a wall shrub near the house where the winter scent can be enjoyed through an open window.

 

Weekend catch-up

IF WINDOW boxes and wall pots were neglected before Christmas then there is still time to fill them with colour that will last for the next couple of months.

Violas are always a good choice. These pretty little plants are hardy and will cope with sunshine and shade and even a covering of snow.

They come in a wide range of colours so there is almost certainly going to be one that will inspire.

They can be planted on their own in a single or mixed block of colour, or mixed with other early plants such as snowdrops and primroses.

Strands of ivy trailed through will add another layer of interest.

 

Gardening talk

Askham Bryan College Gardening Club will hold its first meeting of the year on Tuesday in the Conference Hall at Askham Bryan College, York. Eddie Harland will give an illustrated talk entitled A Garden Through the Seasons, starting at 7.30pm. Eddie, who is head gardener at Littlethorpe Manor near Ripon, has designed and developed the gardens there over the past 14 years. The gardens are set in 11 acres, four acres of which are formal gardens and lawns around the house with a further seven acres of parkland.

Tickets will be available at the door and are free to ABC Gardening Club members, £5 for non-members. Parking is free.

 

Gardening TV and radio

Tomorrow

8am, BBC Radio Humberside, The Great Outdoors. With Blair Jacobs and Doug Stewart.

8.05am, BBC2, Monty Don’s French Gardens. Monty looks at how artistic tradition has influenced French gardens.

9am, BBC Radio York, Julia Lewis. Reports and features from the gardens and countryside of North Yorkshire.

9am, BBC Radio Leeds, Tim Crowther and Joe Maiden.

2pm, BBC R4, Gardeners Question Time. Eric Ribson and his team of gardening experts are in Lancashire where they answer questions from the audience at Myerscough College in Bilsborrow. With Chris Beardshaw, Pippa Greenwood and Christine Walkden.

Friday

3pm, BBC R4, Gardeners’ Question Time. Chris Beardshaw, Bob Flowerdew and Pippa Greenwood answer listeners’ questions sent in by post, email and social media. Chairman Peter Gibbs keeps order at Sparsholt College in Hampshire.