Making scents out of a mild winter

1 JUST can’t resist. I know the moment I voice my pleasure over the exceptionally mild weather we have en- joyed thus far, we will plunge into the deepest depths of Icy Hell that Frosty can throw at us. Call me reckless, but this is just too good not to crow about.

It’s one thing to tease your eastern relatives with tales of roses blooming over Christmas, but ge- faniims in January is getting just a tittle too hard to swallow. What would they say if F told them about the jasmine blooming in my back yard?

Actually, jasminum nudiflorum, or winter jasmine, flowers happily through much colder weather than any we have experienced so far. Its broom-like appearance might be easily overlooked during other seasons, but in winter it’s im- possible not to appreciate its bright yellcw flowers.

About the only thing missing is fragrance. Unlike the scented jasmines often referred to in liter- ature, the winter jasmine offers no stimulation to our sense of smell. There are many garden plants, however, which can and do make contributions in this way if we take the time to cultivate them.

Viburnum x bodnantense makes an excellent example. This medi-

“um- to large-sized deciduous shrub has a strong, upright habit and for some a rather cumber-

Geoff Tobiasson

OVER THE GARDEN GATE

The arrival of an attractive display of coppery bronze foliage in spring is short-lived as the leaves quickly change to the dull green of summer. After a brief showing of crimson and gold giory in fall we are left with an imposing mass of leafless bran- ches. Yet it is easy to forgive any

some presence in the garden. imposition once you have been

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exposed to its winter charms.

From December to February, densely packed clusters of rose- tinted buds open to form delicious nosegays of shell-pink flowers. But it is the scent I find most Pleasing. The spicy-sweet fragrance reminds me of the heady perfumes of summer. Once brought indoors you can quickly replace the blues of winter with memories of warm summer days in the garden.

You might find your bouquet looks a little bare without a touch of greenery to lend it some mass; try a few branches off your Christmas Box. No, I am not talking about some leftover parcel under the tree, it is sarcecocca confusa to which I cefer.

Unfortunately, this will be a difficult plant to find as } know of no growers who currently have it in production. Finding close kins, s. ruscifolia, an ‘spright form to five feet, or s. Aumilis, a dwarf suitable as a groundcover in dry shade, will be easier but still not simple.

This is a plant which is definite- ly under-utilized in our area.

If t haa a nickel for every ques- tion I received concerning good plants for shady areas, I, too, would be writing columns from the Caribbean. Anyhow, this plant answers the question as weil as any I know. It is a broad-leaved evergreen and as such its pointed dark, glossy-green leaves are there for us to add to the winter bou- quet. All the members of the sar- cococca family offer the added bonus of small, sweetly scented flowers to boot.

Anotier one of my favorite group of piants are the witch hazels, hybrids of hamamelis mollis and h. x intermedia being the most important. They will make a perfect contribution to the woodland garden when used for shade over a smail patio or in any setting requiring a small, well- behaved tree.

The witch hazels begin the year with the emergence of glaucous green foliage having a soft, fuzzy look. Throughout the growing season, its widely spreading habit combined with the neat, mid- green leaves provides the perfect amount of sun-dappled shade

needed for rhododendrons.

plants such as Fall supplies us with a relatively long-lasting display of exceptionally lovely orange and gold hues as the leaves begin to drop.

Any of the foregoing. would provide me with sufficient reason

“to add this lovely tree to the

garden, but when you add in the delicate array of fragrant, tuft- like flowers in mid-winter, it becomes a must. Ail forms are very fragrant, but there are dif- ferences in color.

H. mollis is the most commoniy planted and its flowers possess a burnt yellow shade. Of the better hybrids, h, x intermedia ‘‘Diane”’ is the finest red, ‘‘Pallida’’ is the finest yellow and ‘‘Arnold From- ise’’ is a big, robust yellow with great red foliage in fall. °

I hope this has been of some help in getting you to make some of the scents out of winter. If you have any favorites that I have missed, please send them to me care of the North Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Ave., North Van- couver V7M 2H4.

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