During this part of the winter the garden can be brightened up by a selection of the following. The witch hazel (Hamamelis) is in full bloom of yellows, oranges and reds accompanied by their sweet fragrance.

The corkscrew hazel (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’) is at its best during February with twisted branches and catkins hanging down from the spirals.

The winter sweet, (Chimonanthus praecox), Viburnum bod. Dawn and the winter flowering honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) are shrubs with fragrant blooms on their bare stems while the Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis) show off their delicate nodding flowers.

Different plants will have different triggers to induce flowering and some plants are very responsive to the changes in the day length and the amount of light on a particular day. The amount of light in winter is much less than in summer, so some plants use that as a signal that they should start making flowers and enter reproduction. Some plants are very sensitive and can distinguish between 16 hours and 8 hours of light a day, so basically it is not the brightness of the light but the day length of how much light for the day.

Premature flowering occurs when there has been a cold snap and vernalisation has occurred when the plant has sensed that it has been exposed to cold for a long period of time.

Other plants with winter interest are . . .

• Prunus x subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’ is the best tree to achieve flowers throughout the cold weather. It is available in white and pink semi-double flowers.
• Cotoneaster x ‘Cornubia’ in tree form provides a good show of long-lasting berries.
• Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ has orange-red winter stems providing an attractive show. This variety also provides a fantastic display of fiery autumn foliage.
• Mahonia x media ‘Charity’ is an evergreen shrub which will tolerate shade and benefits from yellow racemes of fragrant flowers.
• Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’ is an evergreen plant which carries large clouds of red buds all winter. These open into white flowers in spring and are good for planting into containers in ericaceous compost (an excellent Christmas present!).
• Viburnum tinus is one of the best winter-flowering shrubs with dark green leaves and fragrant pink-white flowers. The cultivar ‘Eve Price’ is a more compact form of Viburnum tinus.
• Bergenia cordifolia or elephant’s ears provide a glowing red colour from their large, leathery leaves with pink or white spring flowers appearing from the different cultivars.
• Heuchera varieties such as ‘Purple Palace’ give a splash of purple foliage during the winter months to create excellent cover at the front of the border.

For more advice on plants for your garden, and access to our plant listings, visit our Garden Plants page.