Winter gardening tends to focus on the old favourites; Hamamelis, Sarcococca and Daphne. While these are perfectly respectable shrubs they aren’t for everyone, so let me introduce you to a favourite of mine. Coronilla valentina ssp. glauca ‘Citrina’ is a rather long-winded name for a superb little shrub. By ‘little’ I mean usually around the 2ft x 2ft mark (60cm x 60cm), sometimes slightly bigger, making this a useful plant for smaller gardens or tight spaces. Through the summer you enjoy a blue-tinted bush with an open, relaxed habit and sporadic flowering, but it’s the winter when these gorgeous clusters of pale lemon yellow flowers come into their own. The scent… oh what a joyous perfume! The scent of Coronilla ‘Citrina’ carries beautifully on the air.
Best of all, Coronillas aren’t particularly troublesome to grow; they love full sun, all but the wettest or driest soils, and are hardy across much of the UK (Z7-Z8) if they are protected from the coldest conditions.
The only reasons I can think of why this plant isn’t better known is that a) it doesn’t look very inspiring in a pot on a nursery, and b) the name is a bit scary to new gardeners! Don’t be put off- find somewhere for this superb shrub now!
