Gardeners' World's Carol Klein names favourite winter shrubs with temperatures set to drop

Gardening expert Carol Klein has named the plants that she thinks that fellow gardeners should be growing this winter, as the cold conditions are set to take hold in the coming weeks.

In a recent episode of the much-loved BBC show Gardeners' World, presenter Carol walked viewers around her garden as she provided them with her top winter shrub recommendations.

While some passionate gardeners hold the belief that winter is the worst time to grow some of your favourite flowers, Carol was eager to air her opinion's, as she said: "There are so many exquisite plants at this time of year, and amongst the very best of them, are the winter flowering shrubs," reports the Express.

"Winter flowers have special qualities. Of all the seasons in which they can bloom, surely winter is the most challenging fraught by threats of plummeting temperatures and lack of light. It makes you wonder, why do plants flower in such bleak weather?"

Taking a closer look at some of the flowers that manage to make their way to the top of the flowerbeds despite the conditions around them, Carol fist looked at the Daphne bholua, saying: "There are very few pollinators around at this time of year - very few flying insects. And the ones there are mainly queen bumblebees, searching for pollen and nectar.

"So this shrub, in common with so many winter-flowering shrubs, has lots to offer. First of all, these pale flowers draw in the bees, and then the perfume, pervading the air, pulls them in further and further."

Carol was also eager to shine a light on the beauty of the Corylopsis spicata.

She added: "It's from Japan and it's one of my favourite winter-flowering shrubs. There's something so elegant about it, and, yet, it's very simple and straightforward. Again, it's got really small flowers, but instead of being in clusters, they're in these long sort of tassels."

In Carol's final choice of winter flower picks, she singled out the both radiant and fragrant mahonias, as she said: "If you like the scent of Lily of the Valley, then you'll love mahonias, with spikes of small yellow flowers and heavenly fragrance. This is a tough evergreen that will grown anywhere, even in dense shade."