One of the joys of a sunny winter day is to catch a hint of perfume from our winter flowering shrubs.
One of the most beautiful has to be the viburnum. This lovely, tall, but easily controlled shrub flowers on bare branches and is a joy both for us and early bumblebees – an excellent early source of nectar for them. Find out more about growing viburnum.

One of the best for perfume is a humble evergreen shrub called sarcococca. In general a spreading shrub, some varieties will survive well in a pot near a pathway. Here’s more about growing them..
If you’re looking to enjoy the scents of winter, both of the varieties below thrive in Wandsworth gardens, and Kew is famous for its viburnum collection…