Just in case you haven’t met before, can I introduce you to the winter flowering shrub Viburnum bodnantense Dawn .
Not only does it have the kind of soft pink blushed flowers that you expect to find on a summers day, they’re also sweetly scented. It’ll be flowering now in more sheltered gardens but not untill January and February in colder areas.
I have to admit that it’s not the most exciting looking shrub at other times, in fact it’s quite dull. So best not plant it in a prominent position, but make sure it’s somewhere near a path so you can enjoy the fragrance.
Allow plenty of room when you plant it, it will eventually reach up to 2-3 metres tall and 2 metres wide. It likes moist, well -drained soil and is happy in sun or part shade.
The stems are liable to become over-crowded as it matures, so cut a fifth of them down to the base once it’s finished flowering. Then apply a generous mulch of compost around the base.
It’s a hybrid between Viburnum grandiflorum and Viburnum farreri and was bred at Bodnant Garden in Wales in the 1930’s, which is where the bodnantense part of it’s name comes from.
If it’s growing in your garden, cut a flowering stem and take it inside where it’ll perfume the room.
Last week I put on my smart clothes and went up to the Garden Media Guild annual awards in London because this Blog was nominated for ‘Blog of the Year’. It was an exciting day, but before you get your hopes up, The Guardian newspaper won, though I was delighted to be amongst such exalted company and it’s lovely to have that sort of recognition.
I hope you enjoy the Blog too, sign up for regular updates at the top right of the page so you don’t miss anything.
Jill
images: Jill Anderson
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