Winter is not an obvious time to visit a garden, especially if it’s not even a nice frosty day. However, there are a smattering of winter gardens dotted around the country and Mottisfont in Hampshire is a notable example.
The Abbey was established in 1201 and made the most of it’s position on the pilgrimage route to Winchester, with travelers stopping off to marvel at the finger of St John the Baptist. Following the dissolution of the monasteries the abbey was not demolished but converted into a house.
The Winter Garden was established in 2010 and contains winter-flowering trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs, many of which are highly scented.
Witch-hazels have the wierdest flowers, almost like strands of saffron. An unremarkable green-leaved shrub in summer, it is covered with these flowers ranging from pale yellow through to orange and a deep mahogany. They have a delicate citrussy scent and you need a still day to capture it.
It’s not just flowers that are brightly coloured, winter stems, bark and berries really come to the fore at this time of year. The standout features of the garden are the bright orange-yellow stems of Cornus sanguinea Midwinter Fire. This is another shrub that is pretty dull in summer but the bare stems, planted en masse, are really striking in winter. You need quite a bit of space to get this effect but it can be really worthwhile.
Many winter flowers like these Mahomia and winter honeysuckle, are attractive to pollinators, offering vital nectar on mild days when bees are flying.
The most fragrant shrub, and arguably the dullest to look at, is winter box or Sarcococcocca (I might have added too many cs and os…). It’s a shrub I use often in my garden designs as it is evergreen, has a neat habit, loves the shade and clay soil, and will stop you in your tracks on a winter’s day.
My parents tell me the walled rose garden here is pretty stunning in summer. At this time of year however, the other big attractions are the trees. There are some ancient mulberries and sweet chestnuts and a couple of absolutely enormous London Plane trees. One of these was planted in 1725 and measures more than 12m in girth. It’s not considered a “champion” tree as possibly it is two trees that have merged into one.
We only ventured into the house for coffee and cake. Surprisingly there was free cake, the chef was trying out some new recipes - the vegan hummingbird cake went down better than the salted caramel chocolate brownie - who’d have thought?
The gardens are open every day - https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mottisfont