Christmas Flower and Shrubs Gift Ideas for Gardeners
If you’re looking for Christmas ideas for gardeners in my opinion there is nothing as lovely as some Christmas flowers as a gift , the delicate flower and scent of the Paper White daffodils or the red trumpets of the Amaryllis standing to attention in their pots all add some festive cheer to the place. I grew up in Cornwall and being given a bunch of Cornish narcissus is a genuine delight, Fentongollan Flower Farm offer a postal service as well as a lovely on-line Christmas shop of goodies.
But whilst you can enjoy these flowers in the house there are an array of shrubs and plants that provide delicious scents as you walk around the garden and would make a lovely present for a gardener.
As a small Christmas flower you cannot ignore Hellebores, the Hellebores niger or Christmas rose will be coming into flower just around Christmas, usually beginning of January. It is called the Christmas rose as it is said it grew where a young girl’s tears fell as she didn’t have a present to give baby Jesus. Other Hellebores with their dark green leaf and droopy flower add an interest to the garden if you manage to have time and look at the flower they can be quite intricate.
Deciduous Shrubs
These shrubs will give you Christmas flowers but these shrubs are more renowned for their garden scent.
Viburnum bodatense New Dawn has pink fragrant flowers from November to March. it’s a dense medium sized shrub and a delight to walk past on a cold winters day.
Hamemelis x intermedia ‘Diane’ this witch hazel has lovely coppery red flowers which I prefer to the Hamemelis mollis with it’s yellow flowers.
Chimonanthus praecox (Winter sweet) really doesn’t look much in the winter but as it is a large shrubs it is usually at the back of the border being unnoticed but the scent will make you stop in your tracks. The delicious sweet spicy scent that oozes from this plant is intoxicating. The flowers when you take the time to look at them are beautiful. This is one of my garden musts for a large garden and a perfect present for Christmas.
Evergreen Shrubs as Christmas Flowers
If you’re looking for Evergreen Christmas flowers there are a number of shrubs but these are two that I like.
Skimmia’s are a lovely, ‘Rubella’ is probably the variety that you will see in shops with it’s tight red buds and dark leaves creating a perfect Christmas colour. These plants are great for shady areas when you decide to plant them out.
Sarcocca confusa, the Christmas box. This plant has the lovely dark leaf of the common box but in winter if you plant it by your door and brush past it it will have a delicious scent.
If you’re planning to buy a plant for a Christmas present check the pot sizes, ideally 2L or more. With the internet it is easy to order online you can do this from nurseries or from retailers have a look at the RHS for some inspiration.
If you’d like some winter colour in your garden and need some help from a garden designer contact Samantha Willis 0771 858 6105
