SIX OF THE VERY BEST: HAMAMELIS
Fragrant witch hazel is a must in every garden
MY FIRST encounter with hamamelis was while walking through the arboretum at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, on a dull day in January. There was not a flower to be seen anywhere, just grass and grey. But then came the scent. Hanging in the air, sweet with a spicy tinge, it wasn’t until I had passed a large conifer that the source was revealed.
The scent came from a handsome shrub, 10ft (3m high), its branches – each lined with flurries of bright yellow – striking out at an angle from the base to create a large, bowl-shaped plant. And rooting around in the fallen foliage beneath were three cock pheasants.
OK, the ornamental birds may be beyond most of us, but the colour and that fragrance, supreme among winter shrubs, is available to all. And the appeal of hamamelis doesn’t end there: its autumn foliage colour is equally lovely.
These are tough winter-flowering shrubs – hardy everywhere – with varieties opening at different times from December to March. Plants can be upright, rounded or vase-shaped, and bear clusters of flowers all along the branches. Often described as ‘spidery’
due to the fact that each has four long, slender, twisted petals, flowers are gathered into groups at the leaf joints along the bare branches. They come in yellows – from primrose to rich gold – plus reddish and marmalade shades.
Scent varies from weak to pungent; a few have none at all. Then, in autumn, fiery leaf colour develops in oranges, yellows and golds (again, in a few the autumn foliage does not colour well).
All this does come at a price. Always grafted, and slow-growing at first, hamamelis are not cheap. Availability can also be an issue, but you’ll find my choices at the recommended nurseries. Their size means many gardens will have room for just one, in which case longflowering ‘Diane’ and ‘Arnold Promise’ are good bets. Spring pruning will keep them manageable and increase the denseness of the flower clusters.
I don’t have a witch hazel in my garden at the moment, and I keep looking around at the mature shrubs wondering which will have to go as I can’t live another winter without a witch hazel.