Step behind the noticeboard at the Thompson Road gates to see a lovely large swathe of evergreen Helleborus foetidus (stinking hellebore, or bear’s foot hellebore).

Even before its pretty flowers appear, Sparrmannia africana (African hemp) is a most attractive evergreen shrub. The large, soft, downy leaves are heart-shaped. Towards the ends of the branches clusters of up to 20 white flower buds hang from hairy stalks, revealing a puff of golden and red-purple stamens.

In the 1940s the notable hybridist, J. C. Williams of Caerhays, Cornwall, crossed Camellia japonica and Camellia saluenensis. One of the first plants raised at Caerhays was the camellia ‘St. Ewe’ (named after a village in Cornwall). This is one of the earliest camellias to flower and the first blooms can often be seen early in January.

It is always a delight to find a rare and unusual plant in flower, and a botanical garden is the place to find one. Sycopsis sinensis is a large evergreen shrub or small tree on the left as you enter the path to the bear pit. 

The heavenly scent of the beautiful flowers of this stunning plant will be noticed before you come upon it in the east ridge and furrow Pavilion, the Asian and Himalayan section. These multi-petalled, pure white flowers develop in the leaf axils along the stems over many weeks, from buds covered in copper coloured, velvety hairs.

The winter flowering honeysuckles (Lonicera) are planted throughout the Gardens, and the ones near the Grand Entrance (area D on downloadable map) are flowering well.

It is most unusual to see these exotic looking plants in flower outside of a glasshouse environment, but the acacias were planted in Sheffield Botanical Gardens in the Spring of 2013 and have since thrived, so much so, that they are covered in bud and flowers to welcome the spring.