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Winter Garden

Protected by woodland to the south and west, the Winter Garden offers a wide range of conditions, from open and sunny to shaded and sheltered. It demonstrates the wide range of plants that can be used to create a colourful and exciting winter display.

Spectacular stems

One of the best ways to introduce vivid colours into the garden in winter is by using plants such as Cornus (dogwood) and Salix (willow), with brightly coloured stems.

A group of Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’, with their brilliant crimson stems, looks stunning in the depths of winter, especially when underplanted with snowdrops.

Winter-flowering magic

A surprising number of plants produce intensely coloured and scented flowers during winter, all vying for the attention of pollinating insects on milder days.

The flowers of Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ are among the most highly scented in the garden, and Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’ (witch hazel) is also a star performer with its large, sulphur-yellow, spider-like flowers that have a delicate, spicy fragrance.

Don't forget the foliage

With their wide variety of leaf shapes and colours, evergreen plants make an invaluable contribution here. Pinus strobus 'Louie' provides a ray of sunshine on even the cloudiest day, contrasting beatuifully with dark-leaved evergreens.

Plantings of Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’ give a bold splash of colour, while the architectural foliage and long-lasting, fragrant yellow flowers of the Mahonia × media cultivars create interest in even the shadiest of locations.

RHS Garden Rosemoor | Winter Garden

We’re re-developing the Winter Garden at RHS Rosemoor, doubling its size and bringing new wonder to this magical environment. Give a gift to help us bring Jo Thompson’s exciting new design to life, and enjoy an enchanting and newly revived garden area to spend those crisp, winter days.

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Spring Highlights

Erica carnea 'Myretoun Ruby'

heather 'Myretoun Ruby'
Camellia × williamsii 'Donation'

camellia 'Donation'
Skimmia × confusa 'Kew Green'

skimmia 'Kew Green'

The Winter Garden is one of my favourite areas, partly because it was the first area I was given responsibility for when I started  at Rosemoor, but also because it spends more than half of the year as a calm, green oasis before gradually revealing the full glory of its colourful stems and barks, highly scented flowers and interesting evergreens.

The flowering of the Hamamelis is the highlight of the winter for me. Their delicate, spider-like flowers come in a variety of yellows, oranges and reds and are seemingly impervious to the cold.

James, RHS Garden Rosemoor Horticulturist

The Winter Garden is one of my favourite areas, partly because it was the first area I was given responsibility for when I started  at Rosemoor, but also because it spends more than half of the year as a calm, green oasis before gradually revealing the full glory of its colourful stems and barks, highly scented flowers and interesting evergreens.

The flowering of the Hamamelis is the highlight of the winter for me. Their delicate, spider-like flowers come in a variety of yellows, oranges and reds and are seemingly impervious to the cold.

James, RHS Garden Rosemoor Horticulturist

Plants in this section

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