Daphne Perfume Princess and Perfume Princess White
There is an old saying that goes, “every home must have a daphne and a lemon tree”.
These two plants remain as some of the top plant gifts for housewarming presents.
Daphne Perfume Princess is a recent release bred by well-known Taranaki plant breeder and nurseryman Mark Jury.
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It is a cross between the traditionally grown pink daphne “odora leucanthe” and daphne bholua.
Perfume Princess boasts the largest flower size of all the daphnes, as well as the longest flowering period, being both the first and last to bloom.
Daphnes are grown for the nose, full of scent that any passersby can derive from this outstanding plant.
Wintersweet
Delicious name for a delicious plant.
Chimonanthus praecox, commonly known as wintersweet, produces deliciously sweet-scented flowers during the middle of winter each year.
The cold air of June and July seems to bring the fragrance out more strongly on this deciduous shrub.
This plant has waxy yellow flowers with dainty purple markings, the flowers run along the bare branches which are leafless during the winter months.
The plant comes out with fresh green leaves in spring, which turn yellow in the autumn before dropping.
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It is well placed in the back of a garden where it provides backbone and structure with its green backdrop during the summer months.
Smaller growing shrub varieties such as hydrangea, callistemon or hebe planted in front can provide colour and interest during the summer months.
Left to its own devices, wintersweet will form a shrub 2.5-3m high by 2m wide.
Its size, however, can be contained with a pruning in late winter/early spring each year before it comes into leaf.
Wintersweet originates from China, where it was domesticated during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
It is a relatively tough and versatile plant, hardy to cold and grows well in sun or part shade.
A highly recommended plant for offering some winter joy on a dreary day.
Grevillea Fireworks
If you’ve got a sunny spot for a 1-1.5m shrub, then this plant is great for winter colour.
The striking spidery-like flowers are predominantly red, with contrasting bright yellow tips on the styles, creating a fiery, eye-catching display – hence the name Fireworks.
The blooms are rich in nectar, attracting a variety of birds, including native tūī and wax eyes.
Some other brilliant winter-flowering plants:
Ericas
Many varieties in the family of ericas flower through the cooler autumn and winter months.
The flowers of many varieties are loaded with nectar, making them attractive to both bees and birds.
Particularly in the Northern Hemisphere, but also by some New Zealanders, ericas are commonly referred to as “heaths” or “heathers”.
Ericas are renowned for their ability to endure hot sun and poor soil, making them ideal for the sandy areas of Whanganui.
They will in fact grow in any well-drained soil and will handle full sun or a part shade situation.
They prefer an acidic soil, so use acid fertiliser to feed them as you would camellias, rhododendrons and daphne.
Protea
Proteas are a flower that is recognised around the world. Proteas produce a long-lasting flower display and are an excellent cut flower. Proteas are sometimes referred as sugar flowers, because of the high nectar levels the flowers can produce.
Thus, they are highly attractive to bringing bird life into the garden such as tūī.
The flowers of proteas are produced during the winter months and are among some of the larger in regular home garden cultivated plants.
Leucadendron
For the most part, leucadendrons generally grow between 1m and 2.5m in height and width.
The flowers look like they are an extension of the stem with a kind of cone sitting down below the leaf-type bracts that is not seen unless the plant is viewed close up.
As the cold of winter sets in, the flowers become more obvious with the leaves intensifying in colour to put on a real show.
The colours vary from creamy yellows to orange-yellow to intense reds. One of the most well-known and widely grown leucadendron varieties is Safari Sunset. It has boldly coloured red bracts and is a strong plant, excellent for cut flower production and as a garden specimen.
Miniature cyclamen
One of the most prolific flowering plants is the bold, bright, colourful cyclamen.
They are a very popular colour plant to grow during the winter months.
They start throwing flower buds as the weather cools in March and continue in mass profusion through into September.
As a result of selective breeding, a range of different cyclamen is available.
In addition to the bold, bright single colours of red, violet, white and many shades of pink, there are some with frilled flowers, butterfly double type flowers as well as variation in leaf marbling (colour).
Do you have a gap in your garden? Choose one of these to bring some colour, joy and even fragrance into your garden during the winter months.
Gareth Carter is the general manager of Springvale Garden Centre in Whanganui.