Wintersweet

Chimonanthus praecox

Vigorous deciduous shrub with translucent pale yellow flowers carrying a powerful spicy fragrance, opening on bare branches in deepest winter.

Hardiness ratings

Wintersweet hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 7–9 −17.8 °C to −1.1 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H5 −15 °C to −10 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 7–9 −12 °C and warmer Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 2–4 −10 °C to 5 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Flowers December–February in much of the Northern Hemisphere — one of the great midwinter fragrance plants
  • Flowers are easily damaged by hard frost — best sited against a sheltered south or west wall in cold climates
  • Slow to start flowering — young plants can take 5–7 years to bloom, do not give up too soon
  • Needs winter chilling to flower well

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Wintersweet against your zones

Reference

Wintersweet on Wikipedia