Expert’s choice

A treat for the eyes and the nose, with two seasons of interest, this hard-working shrub certainly earns its keep, says Graham Rice

A heavenly scented shrub

If there was a deciduous shrub that offered a combination of sweet lingering fragrance, bright winter flowers, an elegant growth habit and butteryellow autumn foliage, wouldn’t you be rushing to the garden centre? Well, get your skates on, because witch hazels are currently at their peak and every garden should have one. Admittedly, witch hazels aren’t small plants and finding space could be tricky, but with an elegant branch structure carrying winter flowers as well as colourful autumn foliage, having one well-chosen variety is like having two different plants. Long-lasting, spidery flowers line the branches, with different varieties opening at various times from December to March. Most are sweetly fragrant and a few, such as ‘Arnold Promise’ (yellow), ‘Aurora’ (red and yellow) and ‘Vesna’ (pale orange), have a particularly heady scent that hangs in the winter air. The best known variety is ‘Pallida’, which, if you get the right plant under that name, has heavily scented sulphur-yellow flowers and bright yellow autumn colour. The problem is that unscented plants sometimes masquerade under that name, as do plants whose foliage turns brown in winter and then hangs on the stems past flowering time, hiding the blooms. Sadly, it’s safer to pass it by in the garden centre. The others I’ve suggested won’t disappoint.

Position Best in fertile, free-draining, non-chalky soil, in an open situation, ideally with an evergreen background to help the flowers stand out more. Make sure you can see it easily from the house or a path. Hardiness Totally hardy. RHS rating H5. Care Mulch annually in autumn. Leave unpruned or, if space is tight, cut the previous year’s growth back to two buds after flowering. Where to buy BlueBell Arboretum & Nursery, bluebellnursery.com, 01530 413700; Burncoose Nurseries, burncoose.co.uk, 01209 860316; Larch Cottage Nurseries, larchcottage.co.uk, 01931 712404.