Winter-flowering plants: 10 of the best

Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn' A vigorous shrub featuring sugar pink flowers: prune to keep it under control. Needs: Full sun or partial shade. Photograph: Steffen Hauser/Botanikfoto/Alamy

Sarcococca hookeriana var digyna Guardian columnist Alys Fowler describes this plant as "upright and compact, with fine foliage, young stems flushed a purple-pink and flowers tinged with the same hue". Needs: Unfussy, but make sure to plant it somewhere you can sniff the scent. Photograph: Florapix/Alamy

Lonicera x purpusii A shrubby honeysuckle with small lemony-scented flowers. Needs: Full sun or partial shade, needs room to spread. Photograph: Steffen Hauser/Botanikfoto / A/Alamy

Iris unguicularis var. angustifolia Despite its delicate looks, this is one tough customer, that's best sited in stony ground at the bottom of a sunny wall. Cut the flower buds and bring them inside to unfurl. Needs: Full sun, and a starved soil. Photograph: John Glover/Alamy

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena' The spidery, coppery-orange flowers of witch hazel appear from November to March. Needs: Full sun or partial shade. Photograph: Val Duncan/Kenebec Images/Alamy

Hamamelis intermedia 'Diane' If you prefer a touch of red, try this witch hazel variety. Photograph: Jonathan Need/Alamy

Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill' One of the strongest scents of winter, this shrub's a great choice for smaller gardens. Needs: Fertile, moist soil. Photograph: John Glover/Alamy

Cornus mas This is a late-winter bloomer with small bright yellow flowers. Needs: full sun or partial shade. Photograph: Blickwinkel/Alamy

Chimonanthus praecox var. luteus Another yellow-flowered winter wonder, wintersweet is a deciduous shrub that looks nondescript in summer but makes up for that now with its scented blooms. Cut a branch to bring the perfume indoors. Needs: Sun and a moist soil. Photograph: Susan A Roth/Alamy

Abeliophyllum distichum If you can't stomach the strident yellow of forsythia, this is the shrub for you. Needs: Full sun and a sheltered aspect Photograph: Steffen Hauser/botanikfoto/Alamy