Winter Walk at RHS Wisley

Stop 1. Photographer’s favourite

On the corner of the bed overlooking the water is a striking multi-stemmed birch Betula utilis subsp. jacquemontii ‘Doorenbos’. It has a backdrop of drooping blue cedars, a carpet of Erica × darleyensis ‘White Spring Surprise’ and Rubus thibetanus – a well-behaved ornamental bramble. On its left, the photographer’s favourite willow, Salix alba var. vitellina ‘Yelverton’, is simply stunning on a sunny winter’s day.

Walk along the main path towards The Glasshouse, enjoying Oakwood on your left. Look up at the pair of towering Pinus nigra trees. Viburnum × bodnantense ‘Charles Lamont’ flowers through winter with a subtle fragrance. Further along, the scented white Daphne bholua ‘Hazel Edwards’ is an early winter performer.

Stop 2. Woodside in winter

Stay on the hard path as it gently bears left seek out the glistening white birch tree Betula utilis subsp. jacquemontii ‘Grayswood Ghost’ on the edge of Oakwood, its to the left of the side path. On this corner is a group of Abeliophyllum distichum shrubs that go by the common name of white forsythia, in reference to its forsythia-like flowers in February. A pink-flowered form grows up ornate metal obelisks at Stop 4.

Take a quick look down the side path to admire patterned, scaly bark on the multi-stemmed ironwood tree Parrotia persica opposite the bench, and return to the main path. The next bed is full of Sarcococca confusa, or sweet box, that fill the air with scent in mid-winter, dotted with young birch trees including Betula utilis subsp. albosinensis ‘Pink Champagne’ and B. utilis subsp. utilis ‘Dark-Ness’.

Continue past the dogwood Cornus sanguinea ‘Magic Flame’ on the right until you reach the right-hand turn. Either divert into The Glasshouse and Glasshouse Café or turn right for Stop 3. Just beyond the junction, it’s worth looking for the cloud-pruned Osmanthus × burkwoodii, underplanted with snowdrops.

Stop 3. Snakebarks and sweet scent

Walking from the junction, look left for the pine, Euonymus and Berberis. Their columns mirror the beech in the Glasshouse Landscape beyond. A delicate cherry Prunus incisa ‘Kojo-no-mai’ and icy-sounding grape hyacinth Muscari armeniacum ‘Siberian Tiger’ create a late winter scene.

Opposite is a stately Parrotia persica. Sarcococca (sweet box) scent fills the mid-winter air, rising from a bed of Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’ and contorted hazel Corylus avellana ‘Scooter’. At the end of the bed, the snakebark maple Acer davidii ‘George Forrest’ shows off its stripy bark.

On the right-hand side of the path, towards the rear of the bed, bright red berries on Viburnum betulifolium hold well through the winter, and hellebores fill the ground around three striking Prunus serrula Amber Scots (‘Minscots’) trees.

Stop 4. Purple pearls and orange rockets

A mass planting of Edgeworthia shrubs fills the borders on the left. Their pendent clusters of fragrant flowers hang for months – eventually opening their yellow blooms in late winter, with Iris ‘Frozen Planet’ beneath.

With a colour that seems unlikely for a berry, Callicarpa bodinieri ‘Imperial Pearl’ bears violet-purple fruit from autumn into early winter. Red-stemmed Berberis thunbergii ‘Orange Rocket’ plus golden conifer Abies nordmanniana subsp. nordmanniana ‘Golden Spreader’ give a warm glow no matter what the weather.

Along this stretch you’ll see Abeliophyllum distichum Roseum Group growing up ornate metal obelisks. These are a pink form of the free-standing shrubs at Stop 2.

Stop 5. Golf balls and bowling greens

On the right of the path, young birch trees Betula utilis subsp. albosinensis ‘Bowling Green’ are underplanted with golden Carex and marbled hellebores, with contorted hazel in the understorey and gleaming white silver birch trees B. utilis subsp. jacquemontii at the end of the bed.

On both sides of the path evergreen Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’ is cut into spheres – visit the Walled Garden for more ideas on topiary shrubs suitable as alternatives to Buxus (box).

On the left, Acer tegmentosum ‘Valley Phantom’ is a Manchurian striped maple with eye-catching silvery white striped young bark. In late winter the delicate Erythronium californicum ‘White Beauty’ along with Iris ‘Harmony’ and ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ add colour and sparkle.

Stop 6. Colour, texture and sound by the lake

As you approach the wooden bench listen for the babbling water and enjoy the combination of Salix hookeriana, Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Kokuryū’, Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Tom Thumb’ and Acer davidii Viper (‘Mindavi’). The arching structure of Cedrus libani ‘Blue Angel’ looks wonderful beside the water. The dark coppery bark on Prunus rufa and P. serrula catch the eye with Nandina domestica, sometimes called heavenly bamboo, below. With ferociously red leaves, the dwarf cultivar ‘Seika’ is named from the Japanese for ‘sacred fire’.

Further along, a deciduous conifer Taxodium distichum ‘Wisley Flame’ grows beside the lake. This swamp cypress holds its autumnal orange needles for up to four weeks longer than usual. The needles then fall and carpet the ground all winter. By the path here, let your hand brush past the needles of Pinus strobus ‘Tiny Kurls’. These slow-growing, tactile conifers and their short, twisted blue-green needles add texture, contrast and softness. Turn around for Stop 7.

Stop 7. Colours and contrasting conifers

Beyond the grass, colours and textures dominate this area. Blue contrasts with yellow throughout the bed – Cupressus arizonica var. glabra ‘Blue Ice’ mingles with yellow tree heathers, golden pines and yellow-stemmed Salix (willow).

Glossy, peeling bark of multi-stemmed Prunus serrula trees around the Winter Walk add richness. Winter-flowering heathers Erica × darleyensis ‘Snow Surprise’ flow around them. Show stopping witch hazels fill this area – ever popular for its scent and colour is Hamamelis × intermedia ‘Pallida’.

Continue along the hard path to discover contrasting conifers: compare the finger-like form of Abies koreana ‘Kohout’s Ice Breaker’ with the texture of Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’ and the scaly tendril-like branches of Thuja plicata ‘Whipcord’. They’re set off by the variegated leaves of Euonymus fortunei ‘Silver Queen’ against a backdrop of white brambles. Turn to the lake again for Stop 8.

Stop 8. Winter stems and reflections

Oranges, reds, yellows, whites – the coloured winter stems create a fiery scene. Their reflection in the water, when the sun streams through, is the essence of the Winter Walk.

Explore the bark path at the corner. Among the Cornus (dogwood) and Salix (willow), look out for plants considered slightly less usual for winter stem colour such as Tilia cordata ‘Winter Orange’ (lime) and the maple Acer negundo ‘Winter Lightning’. The arched white-bloomed stems of the bramble Rubus cockburnianus and fiery stems of Cornus sanguinea ‘Anny’s Winter Orange’ add to the colourful effect.

Circle back to the hard path and the main path. To the right of the junction another type of willow, Salix gracilistyla ‘Mount Aso’ bears furry pink catkins in late winter. Beside it Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Red Dragon’ is a red-orange cultivar of the edgeworthias growing at Stop 4. Keep on the hard path, enjoying the Helleborus HGC Ice N’ Roses Red (‘Coseh 4100’) (Ice N’ Roses Series) in late winter, and follow the Hamamelis (witch hazels) until you reach Stop 9.

Stop 9. Witch hazels and winter cherry

Scented witch hazels are densely planted in bands of colour: Hamamelis × intermedia ‘Robert’, ‘Jelena’, ‘Aphrodite’ and ‘Barmstedt Gold’ with ‘Rubin’ across the path. These all hold the prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM). Underneath, silvery, green, lace-marked, heart-shaped leaves of Cyclamen hederifolium cover the ground. Hederifolium is from the Latin Hedera for ivy and folium for leaved, resulting in “ivy-leaved”. Look closely and you might spot tight spirals where the stems take seeds to ground level.

On the opposite corner, four flowering cherry trees create a twinkling effect by blossoming on and off through the winter. These are Prunus incisa ‘Praecox’, where the cultivar name of praecox means “very early”, referring to its flowering time. At the crossroads, turn right towards the Food Hall.

Stop 10. Elevated hedges

As you walk towards the Food Hall, spot the floaty Stipa tenuissima followed by the aptly named sedge Carex ‘Ice Dance’. A fine example of Prunus serrula, the Tibetan cherry, has rich mahogany-coloured bark that flakes and peels away in bands, leaving a glossy trunk. More contrasting conifers fill the beds on the left including the blue fir Abies concolor ‘Compacta’ and on the opposite corner Picea omorika ‘Pendula Bruns’.

Alongside the Food Hall window is Tilia cordata ‘Winter Orange’, trimmed in late winter to show off the youngest stems that have the most colour for the next winter season. This line of lime trees is creatively pruned to look as though it is a hedge on stilts – a technique known as pleaching.

Finally, the avenue of table-top plane trees that run from here to the cherry tree avenue are Platanus × hispanica – the London plane. In summer they provide architectural shade and in winter you can appreciate their structural skeleton.