Best in the Gardens – December

December’s collection of unmissable plants.

At Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, our Winter Garden offers an unparalleled sensory experience. This four-acre oasis is sure to lift your spirit with an impressive display of witch hazel and other winter flowering shrubs. For more information about other unique plants you can see in the Gardens this December, read on.

Viscum album

(VIS-kum AL-bum)

This is definitely a plant of interest for this time of year. A plant surrounded by myth and magic and especially useful for obtaining a kiss, when stood underneath. The Mistletoe is a hemi-parasite. This is a plant that attaches to a host plant and extracts nutrients, yet also photosynthesizes so doesn’t totally rely on the tree. Mistletoe is specific and will only grow on certain trees. These include Apples, pears, popular, willows and maples.

Stewartia monadelpha

(stew-ART-ee-uh mon-ah-DEL-fuh)

This beautiful tree native to Japan, not only has fabulous, bark for winter interest, but also produces large, white, camellia-like flowers in late spring/ summer. Like it’s relative the Camellia, it needs acidic soil to thrive. Named for John Stuart, an 18th century notable figure, but due to a transcription error, Linnaeus misspelled the name.

Picea orientalis ‘Skylands’

(PY-see-uh or-ee-en-TAH-liss)

This is a beautiful, evergreen conifer for winter interest. This ‘Spruce’ variety has an upper layer of golden-yellow on all the needles, making it stand out particularly on a dull winter’s day. Conifers come in all shapes and sizes and dwarf conifers have in recent years come back into fashion. Conifers are an evergreen component to keep the garden looking lively all year round.

Prunus serrula

(PROO-nus ser-roo-LAH)

Although this Himalayan Cherry has rather small flowers, the stunning bark is certainly one of the most radiant in the genus. Cherries can make great small trees for compact gardens and can be containerized and pruned to be kept small.

 For information on where to find more plants of current interest in the Gardens, take a look at our guide and map.