Gardens hold February gems

February in the South can be fickle, cold one day and mild the next.

But those who venture out into the garden will discover a host of winter delights, including early daffodils, Winter Sweet, Chimonanthus praecox, Mahonia, Okame Cherry, Japanese Flowering Apricot, us mume (there are many different selections; I just purchased a white flowered form from McMahan’s nursery, www.mcmahansnursery.com) and of course Winter Daphne Daphne odora in its many forms.

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ERICA GLASENER/Special

Edgeworthia chrysanthas is not difficult to grow and offers four seasons of interest in the garden.

ERICA'S PICK
Paperbush Plant
Botanical name: Edgeworthia chrysantha
About the plant: A large shrub, this Edgeworthia is one of the easiest of the Daphne relatives to grow, and it offers four seasons of interest in the garden. The bare branches in winter are followed by striking buds that open to reveal yellow inside. Once they are in full bloom their fragrance permeates the air.
Use in the garden: Plant as a specimen or in a mixed border.
Planting and care: Light shade and a moist well-drained soil is best.
Source: Wilkerson Mill Gardens, 9595 Wilkerson Mill Road, Palmetto; 770-463-2400; www.hydrangea.com, (opening day Feb. 20).

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In talking recently with Elizabeth Dean of Wilkerson Mill Gardens about winter blooms, she had this to say: “Most any flower that raises its head is fragrant to lure the few hardy souls that show up.” After a stroll through the Atlanta Botanical Garden last week I have to agree.

Although I went in search of witchhazels in bloom, I came away with a list of plants that charmed me. Some like Helleborus foetidus (www.verygoodplants.com) with chartreuse flowers and striking evergreen foliage are perfect for the woodland garden and look good for months. Others like Star magnolia, Magnolia stellata covered with double white fragrant blooms on bare branches, are fleeting and in some years the flower buds may be killed by a sudden freeze. Yet on those years when it does bloom, the wow factor is hard to beat.

On my sniff test I enjoyed Hamamelis x intermedia ’ Diane’ with fragrant dark coppery red spidery flowers. The only drawback was that many of last year’s dead leaves were still hanging on the tree, hiding some of the blooms. And while the flowers on the species Hamamelis vernalis (ideal for the edge of a shade garden) are smaller, their scent is sweet, and the plant I photographed was leafless.

Dean points out that the yellow and orange flowered selections of witchhazels like ‘Jelena,’ ‘Pallida’ and ‘Primavera’ show up better in the garden than some of the red flowered types. She has also observed that mature plants tend to drop their leaves more cleanly, making it easier to appreciate the flowers.

Erica Glasener is an Atlanta horticulturist and host of HGTV’s “A Gardener’s Diary,” seen at 7 a.m. Thursdays.