Wintersweet: Plant of the Week
Plant of the Week
Wintersweet
Wintersweet also known as Chimonathus praecox is a species of plant from China. This flowering shrub produces a spicy scented flower from December through to March. It has yellow bell-shaped flowers that have blood-red staining. They flower in clusters along the branch and have the potential to reach up to 4 metres tall with a spread of 2.5 metres.
Plant your wintersweet shrubs in a sheltered but sunny location. They thrive in well-drained soil and are tolerant of any soil type. Keep on top of your pruning, but don’t overdo it. Instead, only remove the dead, damaged, or diseased branches. An annual mulch with well-rotted manure or compost is beneficial to the shrub too.
The scent of wintersweet is wonderful when the plant is in flower. However in autumn and winter the foliage doesn’t put on too much of a show. Therefore, it’s a great idea to have them mixed into a border where they can blend in, even when they aren’t in flower.