The Scent of Spring

The earth bursting with blossoms has my spring fever in high gear! I am overwhelmed by the decadent scents of spring. There are a handful of shrubs, most deciduous and evergreen, that bloom in late winter. Most of these beauties possess some of the most piercingly sweet perfumes in the plant kingdom.  Jack Bigej, owner of Al’s Garden Center, likes to say “they stink so good.”

 

The improbable presence of perfume in the middle of winter only adds to the exotic, intoxicating quality of winter blooming plants, of which Winter Daphne (Daphne odora) is but one. This delightful plant can be relied upon to brighten the drab early days of spring. With attractive, dark green foliage and an intensely sweet fragrance, Winter Daphne is a welcome edition to any walkway or entry. This plant will grow slowly to a maximum of 3-4 feet and seldom needs pruning. Plant Winter Daphne in shade to partial sun for best results.

Sweet Box (Sarcococca ruscifolia) is another wonderfully fragrant treasure in the garden. This naturally low-growing, compact shrub makes an excellent if low-key evergreen mass in a shady area. The surprise comes in late winter, when you'll notice an intoxicating fragrance winding its way all over your garden. If you're like me and don't know to expect it, it'll take you a while to figure out that this powerhouse perfume is coming from the inconspicuous, fringy little white flowers of sarcococca. Small red berries form after the plants have flowered. S. Confusa is also known for its intense fragrance, but features black berries rather than red. S. Hookerana humilis is a dwarf Sarcoccoca that is recognized for its low growing habit of 12-18 inches high and 3-5 feet wide. It is suitable for rock gardens, low borders or foundation plantings.

 

My favorite winter-blooming shrub is hybrid Witchhazel (Hamamelis x intermedia), an open, vase-shaped large shrub with scalloped leaves that turn warm shades of yellow and orange in autumn. But the plant's moment of glory is in winter, when its flower buds crack open to release starry blossoms of strap-like petals and an intoxicating fragrance that is unlike any other. ‘Jelena’ with its coppery orange flowers, is only one of the many outstanding cultivars.   Other notable varieties include 'Arnold’s Promise' with bright lemon-yellow flowers and 'Diana', with deep red blooms. Witchhazel flowers have a special survival trick: when the weather turns extremely cold, their petals curl up; then when it warms again, they unfurl like those buzzing party favors that kids love. Plant this stellar shrub in full sun to very light shade, in slightly acid soil. These witchhazels will bloom from January through April.

 

Also suited for our climate are the more exotic winter-blooming viburnums, such as Viburnum ‘Pink Dawn’ (Viburnum x bodnantense), which opens its small clusters of candy pink flowers any time from late fall through early spring. They are sweetly and intensely fragrant.

 

To top off our list of plants to awaken your olfactory senses, Oriental Paperbush (Edgeworthia papyrifera) is a welcome addition with its light fragrance floating through the air on an early spring breeze.  Above all of its attributes, which include showy bark during the winter, Edgeworthia is prized for its fragrant flowers. The fragrance is said to be sweet like Gardenia but spicier. Like its cousin Daphne, Edgeworthia’s aroma perfumes the air over great distances. Edgeworthia flowers throughout the winter, its fragrance to be enjoyed from December to February.

 

Whichever scent of spring you choose to enjoy in your garden, be sure to treat yourself to a few cut branches in a vase indoors, where the warm air will intensify and liberate their perfume to flood an entire room. Sit back, close your eyes, inhale...and realize that the luxury of spring is right around the corner.