In article ,
Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:

Maybe some of the fastigiate Cornus might meet the bill. But if you can
do without the spring flowers, and get them at a time of the year when
not much else will be in flower, then Eucryphia x nymansensis ‘Nymansay’
or E. cordifolia might be worth consideration.

Thanks very much. Yes, Cornus might. I doubt that Eucryphia
would like the cold, though :-(

Whoops - spoke too soon! I take it a Camellia sasanqua wouldn't do,
Nick? Camellias can be trimmed and my ex-fil who had dozens, used to cut
one particular very large and very old one right back to one stem
sticking out the top. He did this every few years to keep the shape and
the plant is still there and going strong.

Unless C. sasanqua is tougher than the usual run of Camellias, I would
have thought that in his location he would lose the flowers to frost
(with the possible exception of this year).

Yes, that's my problem with a lot of the winter-flowering plants.
Even Viburnum x bodnantense rarely produces good flowers. But
Camellia sasanqua is worth a thought, for foliage alone.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.