Shrubs and plants in bloom and looking good in December

Sarcococca the aptly named sweet box it flowers from late November through to Jan/Feb. One of the sweetest scents of all flowering shrubs, it is low growing and shade tolerant. Ideal near the front door where all can enjoy its scent. More about Sarcococca

Mahonia brave the snow to flower throughout the worst of our winters. It is easy to grow, tough and many varieties are spiny, with sharp thorns often planted as a deterrent hedge. There are non spiny versions and also many scented varieties.

Hellebores flower over a long period. The earliest are the Christmas rose varieties, this is Christmas Carol, and they carry on flowering right though into March if the conditions are right. Hellebores are an easy to grow, woodland perennial.

Hollies are a slow growing, evergreen perennial shrub grown for the colourful berries. That said, getting the berries requires planning, as you need to plant the right combination of holly shrubs. More about hollies and how to get the berries. 

Its Christmas time and so we are thinking about decorating our houses and Mistletoe is a firm favourite. Easy to say, hard to grow. It is a parasitic shrub which commonly grows on hawthorn, apple, poplar, lime and conifers. It has a proliferation of white berries.

My favourite winter shrub. Looks insignificant and smells delicious. All the heady scent of a honeysuckle in mid winter. I took this image at Styal Mill in Cheshire which I would visit for the delights of Lonicera fragrantissim. An easy to grow woodland shrub.