Wintersweet

Wintersweet: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright, later broad shrub of 2–3 m.

Leaf

Opposite, 7–15 cm, oval to lanceolate with a pointed tip, untoothed; upper side rough to the touch.

Bark

Greyish-brown twigs with lenticels.

Flower

Hanging, cup-shaped flowers (2–3 cm) with waxy, translucent yellow outer and purplish-brown inner tepals, from December to February; very strongly scented.

Fruit

Urn-shaped, brown false fruits containing a few seeds.

Difference from witch hazel

Witch hazel has ribbon-like, crinkled petals and alternate leaves.

Difference from winter jasmine

Winter jasmine has bright yellow, open, unscented flowers on green, angular twigs.

Flowering: December–February · Pruning: March

Identify by feature: Yellow flowers in spring · Winter flowers

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Witch hazel Hamamelis: ribbon-like, crinkled petals and alternate leaves. Difference from witch hazel
• Winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum): bright yellow, open, unscented flowers on green, angular twigs.

Why grow it?

• Flowers in midwinter, from December to February.
• One of the most strongly scented winter-flowering shrubs: sprigs also scent a vase.
• Early nectar for bees on mild winter days.
• Hardy and low-maintenance.

Wintersweet: where does it grow best?

• Full sun: the wood needs to ripen well in summer for good flowering.
• Sheltered, ideally against a south- or west-facing wall: that is where you smell the flowers best and where they are safest from frost.
• Ordinary, well-drained garden soil, including chalky soil; no waterlogging.
• Allow 2.5 m width.

Light

Full sun

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

3 m tall, 2.5 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Witch hazel: Another fragrant winter-flowering shrub, with yellow or orange flowers and fine autumn colour.
• Winter heath: Pink or white winter flowers as ground cover at its feet.
• Laurustinus: Evergreen and also winter-flowering: a backdrop for the bare twigs, and a green screen in summer.

Good and bad companions

Best kept away from

• Do not plant under the dense crown of these trees: norway spruce, european silver fir, nordmann fir, douglas fir, yew, horse chestnut, norway maple, sycamore

Wintersweet: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from a pot in autumn (October–November) or spring (March–April).
2. Choose a spot by the front door, a window or a path: that way you really benefit from the scent.
3. Dig a generous planting hole, mix in some compost and plant at the same depth as in the pot.
4. Water generously after planting, and in dry spells during the first year.

Care

Watering

In dry spells in the first year; hardly at all after that.

Feeding

A little compost in spring; too much fertiliser gives lots of leaves and few flowers.

Patience

Young plants, especially those raised from seed, often only flower after a few years.

Against a wall

Tie the main branches to wires and let the side shoots grow freely.

Tip: In January, cut a few flowering sprigs to bring indoors: a few twigs in a vase will scent the whole room.

Wintersweet: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March.

When: After flowering, in March.

How:

• Little needed: after flowering, cut a few old branches back low down. It flowers on last year’s wood.
• Against a wall: shorten the side shoots that have flowered to 2–3 buds.
• Remove dead, crossing or overlong branches.

Caution: Do not prune in summer or autumn: you would remove the wood on which it flowers the following winter.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Layering

In spring, bend a low branch to the ground, wound it lightly and cover it with soil; after one or two years it will have enough roots to be cut free.

Sowing

Sow fresh seed in autumn; the seedlings take many years to flower.

Wintersweet: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy.
• Hard frost can turn open flowers brown; buds that are still closed carry on flowering afterwards.
• On mild, sunny winter days the scent fills the whole garden, and the first bees come to the flowers.

Diseases and pests

• No flowers: A young plant, too much shade or pruned in summer. Give it sun and time, and only prune in March.
• Frosted flowers: Brown flowers after a frosty night. A sheltered spot against a wall helps.
• Waterlogging: On wet, heavy soil it struggles. Plant on well-drained soil.

Through the year

• January: Full flower; cut sprigs for a vase.
• February: Flowering comes to an end.
• March: Prune after flowering; plant.
• April: Give compost; layer.
• July: The new wood ripens for winter flowering: no more pruning.
• October: Plant.
• December: The first fragrant flowers.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Fragrant winter-flowering shrub for a sunny, sheltered spot near the house or beside a path; sprigs also scent a vase.

For wildlife

Early nectar for bees on mild winter days.

Did you know?

• In China, where it comes from, it is called ‘wax flower’, after the blooms that feel as if they were made of wax.
• Chimonanthus means ‘winter flower’ (from the Greek cheimon, winter, and anthos, flower); praecox means ‘early’.