The aesthetic reach of your garden relies on judiciously and strategically planting a wide array of species that perform throughout the different seasons. A garden that thrills in the height of summer, whilst wonderful, is not necessarily a sign of skill or panache, but a garden that puts on a different theatrical performance throughout all four seasons is a truly wondrous thing.
To make a truly magnificent winter garden, and to still have color and visual interest at Christmas time, you will need to incorporate some flowers that will last until December, along with shrubs, grasses, perennials, and trees that will throw out their profusion of flowers in December, or thereabouts, too.
Here are five of the very best trees that bloom right up to, and in some cases beyond Christmas, even on the bleakest, iciest of December days.
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1. Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox)
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As befits its name, Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) has the most deliciously sweet and intense fragrance, which fills a room in seconds.
The glossy leaves smell like cinnamon and nutmeg, and the yellow bell-shaped flowers, which bloom in winter from early December to February, smell like candy canes and vanilla. Grown against a wall, come Christmas time, this tree, often grown as a large shrub, is a pure delight.
The butter yellow flowers erupt in the middle of winter, just when everything else in the garden is looking sleepy. Happily, minimal pruning is required, and it puts on a theatrical display all year round.
Glossy chlorophyll-rich leaves in summer, and canary yellow, highly perfumed flowers in the dead of winter.
Hardiness: Zones 6-9
Height: 10-15ft
2. Stawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo)
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If you are hunting for evergreen trees for gardens that are at their very best in winter, then the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) is a frontrunner.
A strawberry tree is a low-maintenance, easy-to-grow tree with handsome glossy leaves, and come October, it is smothered in beautiful red fruits, which precede the prettiest white flowers that appear in November and continue through winter.
Hardiness: Zones 6-10
Height: 6-16 feet
3. Prunus x subhirtella ‘Autumnalis Rosea’ Tree
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Unlike most cherry trees, Prunus subhirtella ‘Autumnalis Rosea’ does not flower in the springtime, but instead its ballet slipper pink flowers appear from November through to March.
It is such a delight to see such pretty pink plumes of flowers on grey, icy days. Looking out to it flowering away in the Christmas snow is like something from a magical landscape painting.
In October, the green leaves turn first auburn and then fiery red color, which only adds to their year-round interest. This young cherry tree, available at Fast Growing Trees, will flower in November, and you will still have blossom sweeping across the garden on Christmas Day.
Hardiness: Zones 4-10
Height: 10-26ft
4. Hamamelis virginiana (Witch Hazel)
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Witch hazels are stunning low maintenance trees that everyone ought to grow, if they hope for winter-time flowers.
The intense fragrance is almost too good to be true, and is the smell of Christmas for me.
Witch hazel is also one of the best trees to grow in pots, and will tolerate pretty much any conditions.
There are a few varieties that are worth considering. Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’, which you can purchase from fast-growing trees, has flowers in a striking reddish hue and looks simply sublime at Christmas, or, if it’s the bright yellow you love, Hamamelis virginiana, available at Nature Hills is a US native variety that is happy in full shade.
Height: 15 ft
Hardiness: Zones 3-9
5. Parrotia persica ‘Vanessa’
(Image credit: Getty Images/Whiteway)
Persian ironwood ‘Vanessa’ is an incredibly pretty small tree. The leaves emerge as a flame red when young, turn fabulously bright green in summer, and then intense and inky hues of purple, red and orange in October and November.
The most beautiful festive red flowers then emerge in winter right through to Easter. A real showstopper of a tree.
It’s not an enormous tree, so it’s ideal for small garden ideas or to be grown in pots, either side of a doorway. It never stops putting on a show, and around Christmas, you can bring in the beautiful red flowers and arrange them among ivy and hellebores for the Christmas table.
Hardiness: Zones 4-8
Height: 8-10 metres
Many marvellous container plants will bloom by Christmas, too, such as winter jasmine and camellias. If you do grow any of these trees in containers, and most of them will live a happy, albeit constricted life in a container, it might be worth protecting them if you have an intense frost.
An easy and sustainable option is these frost plant blankets, available from Amazon, which can just be used on the days and nights where a deep frost is expected.
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