Carol Klein named her favourite winter shrubs as temperatures are set to drop (Image: Getty)
Gardening expert Carol Klein has singled out the plants everyone should be growing in their gardens this winter as temperatures plummet.
In one of the most recent episodes of , presenter ventured around her garden as she named some of her top winter flower recommendations.
Despite the common held belief amongst some gardeners that winter provides unsustainable conditions for to bloom, Carol was keen to put records straight as she said: “There are so many exquisite plants at this time of year, and amongst the very best of them, are the winter flowering shrubs.”
Mahonias are one flower that Carol has recommended planting in your winter garden (stock) (Image: Getty)
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“Winter flowers have special qualities. Of all the seasons in which they can bloom, surely winter is the most challenging fraught by threats of plummeting temperatures and lack of light. It makes you wonder, why do plants flower in such bleak weather?”
Exploring some of the illustrious flowers that still manage to make their way through the undergrowth and bloom amid the wintry conditions, Carol first looked at the Daphne bholua.
She said: “There are very few pollinators around at this time of year – very few flying insects. And the ones there are mainly queen bumblebees, searching for pollen and nectar. So this shrub, in common with so many winter-flowering shrubs, has lots to offer. First of all, these pale flowers draw in the bees, and then the perfume, pervading the air, pulls them in further and further.”
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While the Daphne bholua provides one great winter flowering option, Carol was keen to introduce another eye-catching winter shrub to the fold, the Corylopsis spicata.
She added: “It’s from Japan and it’s one of my favourite winter-flowering shrubs. There’s something so elegant about it, and, yet, it’s very simple and straightforward. Again, it’s got really small flowers, but instead of being in clusters, they’re in these long sort of tassels.”
Last but not least in Carol’s list of recommended winter flowers to place in your gardens this winter, the horticulture enthusiast was eager to shine a light on Mahonias, saying: “If you like the scent of Lily of the Valley, then you’ll love mahonias, with spikes of small yellow flowers and heavenly fragrance. This is a tough evergreen that will grown anywhere, even in dense shade.”