Winter flowering Star Plants

14th February 2024

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Unexpected sight and scent in the garden

Winter flowering plants bring an expected burst of joy to the garden.

Once the colours of Autumn leaves have left the trees it can be easy to think the garden will be lifeless until Spring.

But there are plants which have their flowering season throughout the Winter months.

I work in gardens all year round and I have several winter favourites which I have listed here.

When planted in the right places and the right conditions, Camellias are a reliable flowering plant. I have listed three different species I recommend.

Camellia sasanqua narcissiflora

An evergreen shrub producing a jasmine scented, single white flowers with a golden centre flowering from mid-Autumn to mid-Winter. It's a shrub with an astonishingly long flowering season. The sasanqua species is tolerant of none acidic soil so it is an easy plant to introduce in most gardens. It prefers being sheltered from strong wind and loves being in dappled shade. I happily keep Camellias in my patio garden, in pots. The glossy dark green leaves look good in all Winter weather.

Camellia japonica Nobilissima 

Another white Camellia which I plant to follow the flowering period of the sasanqua narcissiflora. If you love Winter flowers this is definitely a floriferous shrub for you. The flowers can be damaged by a sudden overnight frost so I just remove the brownish flowers when it happens. There are so many flowers on this shrub that losing a few flowers is no big deal.

Camellia X williamsii Debbie

This Camellia is pink and I love the bright saturated colour of the flowers, When this Camellia is touched by some Winter sun rays, it brings a big smile in everyone who sees it! williamsii is an hybrid of the japonica species and can flower a little before any japonica. It is often described as "a most charming" Camellia. Best in dappled shade, sheltered from strong wind like most Camellias.

Skimmia confusa Kew Green

This Skimmia is a must in my garden designs for shady areas. It is an easy shrub to grow, with a wonderful colour and scent. The fragrance is strong, it has a beautiful leafy frame and the flower buds are an attractive shade of lime green which really catches the eye. It flower for quite a long time too. To keep Skimmias at their best when planted in full sun, the soil must be kept constantly moist.

Edgeworthia chrysantha

I don't see enough of those shrubs in the gardens I maintain. A very appealing feature of Edgeworthia is that it bears flowers before the leaves come out. I find that this plant in full leaves looks quite exotic. The flowers are lightly fragrant. It performs best in a completely sheltered spot. From experience, the pruning has to be handled with some care. I never carry out drastic cutting back but partially prune back every year in order to keep a dense frame.

Daphne odora aureomarginata and Daphne X transatlantica Eternal Fragrance

Everything about Daphne is fabulous! However I have to be truthful and say that I had spectacular failure with this shrub. It hates dry and poor soil. Once established, don't try to move it or disturb the root system as it is the kiss of death. I love pruning plants but Daphne is an exception. I avoid any pruning at all, the bigger the better! The variegation of the leaves is beautiful all year round. The best place to plant it, is of course near a front door or along a path. As you walk past it, the wonderful strong fragrance of the flowers will stop you in your tracks for your enjoyment.

Daphne Eternal Fragrance is less of a show off but still attractive and  very fragrant. I often plant this compact small shrub in groups of 3 to get a bigger impact faster.

Fatsia japonica

Fatsia is in my view another exotica looking plant that I use a lot in shady area designs. Architectural, easy and rather attractive all year round. I love the weird white flower heads poking out in a dull Winter day. I successfully grow Fatsias in pots. Everything is easy about this plant which can grow into a small tree if left unpruned. To keep it looking great, just remove the yellowing leaves. This plant will be a delight to look at for a long time.

These are my top favourite Winter flowering plants chosen after many years of working in gardens in various places. These shrubs truly bring life to your garden in the Winter months.