What is the best smelling winter flower? For me it is winter honeysuckle

On the scent of bewitching winter bouquets this season and winter honeysuckle is the star of the show. It’s from a large and rambling shrub but the fragrance from the tiny cream flowers along the stems is divine.

The elegnat Eternal Fragrance Daphne bush. Source: Supplied

Some of the most fragrant shrubs bloom in winter, and many deserve to be better known for that valuable contribution. My favourite is the mellifluously named Lonicera fragrantissima, aka winter honeysuckle. It’s a large and rambling shrub that needs a big garden bed with better looking companions to add interest for the rest of the year, but the fragrance from the tiny cream flowers along the stems is divine.

Another old-fashioned shrub is Luculia (there are several species), but they’re as finicky to grow as winter honeysuckle is easy. The open, evergreen shrubs of 3m or more need a frost-free, semi-shaded position and dislike root disturbance, humidity and wet feet. But when they bear the large heads of soft pink or white blooms, smelling like a cross between gardenia and vanilla, you’ll forgive anything.

Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) is a large, deciduous shrub with small, yellow, waxy flowers in mid-winter that smell rich and complex. It likes cool climates and fertile soil. Other fragrant winter bloomers include much-loved winter daphne (Daphne odora, pictured above), witch hazel (Hamamelis mollis) and sweet box (Sarcococca confusa).

Felix Magnolia flower. Source: Supplied

Close up of freshly bloomed white sweetbay magnolia flower on a background of green leaves

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Magnolia Magic

Deciduous magnolias are stars of the late winter garden. The elegant, goblet-shaped blooms are held aloft on bare branches in colours from pure white (M. denudata) and yellow (Elizabeth) through pinks to crimson and purple. Hybrids with huge blooms include rosy pink Star Wars and hot pink Felix. Trees range from 4m-9m in height; they need protection from hot sun and winds, and from possums.

Magnolia ‘Star Wars’.

Magnolia 'Elizabeth'.

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Q&A

My indoor monstera now has its freedom, growing like a triffid up the wall in a large pot outside. Will the aerial roots damage the bricks or mortar?

Jean Beattie, Western Australia

Monstera’s tough aerial roots help them climb – in the wild, that’s up trees. They’re not usually destructive and penetrating like ivy roots are but can damage paintwork, and if your mortar joints are already loose, they could penetrate them. Aerial roots can also exploit any gaps between boards or roof tiles.

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When is the best time to take cuttings of some of the native shrubs in our garden? What potting mix should I use?

Scott Brandreth, Perth

Take soft-tip cuttings any time the shoot tips are growing actively. These are good for smaller, softer plants but wilt easily; many will grow roots in a glass of water. Semi-hardwood cuttings are more robust, taken from late spring to autumn when stems are firm and changing colour from green to brown. Use a special propagating mix or make one by adding 50 per cent coarse sand or perlite to a native potting mix. Use a rooting gel to increase success.

We’re worried the roots of our 17-year-old lilly pilly hedge in planter boxes will soon penetrate the waterproofing. What could we replant that is shallow-rooted, a good privacy screen, sun loving and less pest-prone?

Edward Brogan, Sydney

Have the waterproofing membrane checked and repaired when you remove the old hedge. Then improve the soil before replanting. Perlite is a good material to add (up to 40 per cent by volume) that is lightweight, holds water and nutrients, and doesn’t slump like organic matter. Consider planting Murraya or Viburnum suspensum for a green hedge, or red-leafed Photinia ‘Red Robin’ or silvery Elaeagnus macrophylla.

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