Autumn is the most dramatic season in the garden as foliage and flowers that have dazzled us with their rich hues bow out in a flurry of fallen leaves and vivid colours.  But the show isn’t over, when the the trees are stripped bare. There are some things waiting in the wings that don’t come into the own during the coldest part of the year.

Subtle in character but often packing powerful scents, winter-flowering plants are a potent ingredient in any garden, brightening the dark days and tempting us outside when miserable weather would otherwise persuade us to remain indoors.

Despite their delicate appearance, most are surprisingly robust and can cope with low light and freezing temperatures without coming to any harm, but it’s best to plant them where they can be seen from indoors or close to paths so that you can relish their perfume every time you step out of your front door.

Here are five of the best for brightening up the dark days ahead.

Scottish Gardener:

Cherry Tree (Prunus x subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’)
In mild spells from November until Autumn, this delicate tree produces flushes of beautiful blossom in either white or pink, depending on variety. It is completely hardy, but give it a sunny spot in decent soil and it will be very happy. It makes a lovely specimen tree when planted in grass, although its shallow roots may eventually break through the turf.

Scottish Gardener:

Honeysuckle  (Lonicera fragrantissima)
Unlike its twining cousins, this honeysuckle is a bushy shrub, which in winter is covered in a multitude of small, white flowers, each one packing a heady fragrance. It can become unruly over time, so prune it hard immediately after flowering to encourage fresh growth and let a late-flowering clematis scramble through it to add interest in summer and autumn.

Scottish Gardener:

Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox ‘Lutea’)
The strange yellow flowers of Wintersweet open on bare stems. Cut a branch and bring it indoors and it will scent a room. It is one of the most fragrant flowers of the winter garden and deserves to be more widely grown. Plant it in a sheltered, south-facing spot and its perfume will be intensified.

Scottish Gardener:

Clematis (Clematis cirrhosa)
This evergreen climber does need a sheltered spot but it is worth finding it a protected corner where it can scramble up a wall and brighten up the darkest days with its cream or red-speckled bells. And once the flowers go they leave behind delightful silky seedheads.

Scottish Gardener:

Cyclamen
The first of these small gems, Cyclamen hederifolium, are already in flower, carpeting the ground beneath shrubs and trees or adding a pop of colour to containers. These will have faded by Christmas when Cyclamen coup will take over the show. Just don’t try growing both varieties together as the less-vigorous coum varieties will be out-competed by Cyclamen hederifolium.