Best in the Garden – January

This time of year can be a fantastic time to reconnect with the outdoors. Whether it’s to wind down from the festivities, keep up with a new year’s resolution or just to seek out some spectacular winter sights, there are plenty of reasons to pay a visit to the Gardens in January.

While you’re taking a stroll, see if you can identify some of our most striking plants this season:

Cornus Wilsoniana

(KOR-nus wil-son-ee-AH-na)

Though a lovely tree in all seasons, thanks to its clusters of white flowers in the warmer months, Cornus Wilsoniana has its greatest appeal in winter, thanks to its attractive mottled grey-green bark. A native of China, the plant was first discovered and cultivated by British explorer Ernest Wilson, from whom it gets its name.

Acer negundo ‘Winter Lightning’

(AY-ser neg-UN-doh)

As its name might suggest, this Acer is a striking addition to a winter garden. In autumn, it sheds its leaves to reveal vibrant yellow twigs, offering some brightness on even the greyest of days.

Jasminum nudiflorum

(JAS-mih-num noo-dee-FLOR-um)

Also known as winter jasmine, this species gives a dazzling floral display in winter and early spring. Another plant from this list that originated in China, it will scramble freely over low structures, but unlike its climbing counterparts needs to be tied in and trained up a vertical framework.

Prunus serrula

Also known as Tibetan cherry, this magnificent tree provides year-round interest with its stunning coppery-red bark, which peels slightly to reveal a fresh hue underneath. At Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, you’ll find it surrounded by the orange-yellow leaves of Libertia peregrinans, a member of the Iris family from New Zealand.

Lonicera x purpusii ‘Spring Romance’

(luh-NIS-er-a pur-PUSS-ee-eye)

This is a shrub honeysuckle variety, flowering in winter with small, but highly fragrant white flowers – sometimes with a hint of pink. They are a lovely shrub to grow in your own garden – as a boundary hedge or mixed with other shrubs to help with their often untidy appearance.