Yesterday, while visiting my mom's house I caught a whiff of something familiar yet I couldn't quite place it. It took me a second, but I soon remembered what it was. Wintersweet or Chimonanthus praecox was the culprit.
Now before you get too excited, let me just say this plant isn't exactly what I'd deem "showy". Wintersweet is easy to forget most of the year, especially where I have it, mixed in with the more familiar and closely related Calycanthus or sweetshrub. It can look a bit messy and can get quite tall (up to 10 ft). Though the form isn't all that remarkable, it does have unique abrasive leaves that remind me of a cat's tongue.
Starting in late December through January it erupts into deliciously fragrant, though somewhat inconspicuous straw-colored blooms. The flowers certainly aren't going to turn any heads, but unless you have COVID, you may catch a whiff of a fragrance similar to paperwhites, but less noxious and overpowering. The scent is most pungent on warm sultry winter days. I wouldn't rank it as alluring or sweet as say Daphne or Lonicera fragrantissima, but it still makes a nice addition to the sensory garden.
Another fascinating aspect of this shrub are the alien-looking seed pods. This is where the similarity with Calycanthus shows up. These large pods remind me of little hornet nests or something out of a horror movie. They hang on the branches and if left alone will fall and germinate underneath the mother plant.
I forget the exact origin of my specimen, but I've seen this plant for sale in a few online and specialty nurseries. I'd be stunned if I saw this in any of the local chains. It will probably never be as popular as other plants. I suspect if it were native, it would be far more commonly sold. Here it is for sale at Camellia Forest Nursery near Chapel Hill, NC. https://camforest.com/products/ts-chipra
As far as maintenance goes, I've read that like its cousin, the sweetshrub, wintersweet benefits from periodic rejuvenation, or cutting the whole plant down to the base. While I've never pruned mine if it keeps getting taller and begins shading out my nearby shrubs, I will definitely get out the saw and do some heavy thinning. Most shrubs are invigorated by a good heavy pruning. Otherwise, just sit back and relax, this plant grows itself.
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