Viburnum x bodnantense Dawn

Year-round gardening is becoming evermore popular as people are discovering how many plants can bring the benefits of foliage, flowers or form right from the start of the year. Beautiful plant life in all its forms quite simply makes us feel better. Even if we don’t realise it, our bodies and minds are so much happier when they are presented with plants. At this time of year more than any other it is essential to get our daily allowance of green and living nature, and winter gardening is a fantastic way of doing this.

Viburnum is a winning candidate for a place in the winter garden. Viburnum x bodnantense flowers from late autumn into spring and as with many winter-flowering plants has the added benefit of very fragrant flowers. A deciduous shrub, the large clusters of small flowers develop on bare stems and are a fabulous source of winter colour. Even on a frosty morning, the cheerful blooms have the power to lift the spirits with the warming impression they create.

Viburnum x bodnantense can reach a height of 3m and a spread of 2m, so it’s best positioned towards the rear of a border or in a more open space, like a woodland garden. Look out for some star varieties: ‘Charles Lamont’ produces bright, pink flowers, ‘Deben’ bears white flowers which flush faintly with pink during the winter months or Viburnum grandiflorum, which is a slightly more compact shrub and bears pink-flushed white flowers from winter to early spring. Viburnum foetens is another slightly smaller variety and flowers from late autumn through to early spring with pink-tinged white or pure white flowers.

To get maximum benefit from a new plant, consider combining it with others that will help show off its best features. Perfect planting partners for winter flowering viburnum include other winter-flowering shrubs, or berrying plants and evergreens that can provide the perfect backdrop to the viburnum’s blooms on bare branches.

These viburnums will grow well in full sun or partial shade, and are not fussy about soil type, as long as they are moderately fertile, and moist but well drained. Very limited maintenance required beyond a tidy-up after flowering to trim back any untidy shoots. Don’t be afraid to remove older branches if the plant is getting too dense, as this will encourage additional growth of young wood that bears extra flowers.

This selection of viburnums will bring enjoyment through the time when much of nature seems to be sleeping. Winter flowers will ‘warm’ borders with their happy colours and whether you choose to do your winter gardening from the sitting room window, or out in the garden proper, you are sure to feel better from a little plant magic.