Plant Profile: Wintersweet

Botanical Name: Chimonantus praecox

Family: Calycanthaceae

Type: Deciduous shrub / small tree

Size: 4m in height, 3m in spread

During the bleak months of winter wintersweet offers just what its name suggests: sweet, delicate colour amongst a barren winter garden.

The small, waxy blooms only appear on mature plants but are well worth the wait. The light yellow flowers, with maroon coloured inner petals, have a strong, sweet fragrance. Its petals have a slight translucence and glow under the winter sun.   

In summer wintersweet puts on a display of large, bright green, if fairly average looking, leaves.

Wintersweet originates from China and is distantly related to the magnolia family.

Ideal conditions:

Wintersweet does best in full to partial sun in well-drained soil. Like many winter-flowering shrubs it needs the heat of summer to bloom well in the winter.

In particularly cold climates it should be positioned against a wall or fence to protect the flowers.

Growing

Generally it is a fairly low-maintenance plant, although it does require frequent watering, year round.

Prune just after flowering — it can be pruned into shape as a shrub or a small tree.

Reproduced with permission from NZOOM Home and Garden content, from the previous website of  The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH   HOME AND GARDEN   Top of page

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