Our back patio looks like a builder’s yard, but smells as sweet as an old fashioned boudoir. It’s the sweet box, Sarcococca, an otherwise non-descript evergreen shrub, tucked into a dark corner by the back door. In January its small white flowers hang down meekly under the leaves, quietly filling the surrounding air with scent. Flowering co-incides with last year’s berries ripening, giving an interesting black and white contrast effect.
Otherwise the garden is light on flower colour at this time of year, especially in contrast to my old garden which I had planted specifically for winter. Still, I can work on that over time. There are some lovely clumps of snowdrops and the hellebore collection is laden with fat buds. There is a real sense that the year is slowly beginning to unfurl.
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