Bewitching, witch hazel

With brightly coloured scented blooms, hamamelis is a great way of adding winter interest to your garden, says Camilla Phelps, as she looks at the best varieties to grow

- Camilla Phelps

THE garden in winter has a lot more to offer in the way of colour and scent than we might at first imagine. Witch hazel, or hamamelis, is one of the top shrubs for winter interest, with breathtakingly unusual, brightly coloured, scented flowers guaranteed to illuminate the garden from December to March.

Yet, despite the exoticism of the delicate, ribbon-like blooms that appear in clusters on bare stems, and the sweet, distinctive fragrance, these are tough garden shrubs and they are deceptively easy to grow.

For large and small gardens

Witch hazels are medium-sized deciduous shrubs, with a good form, largely vase-shaped or fluted, but they often grow as wide as they are tall. They make a good choice for large and small garden spaces, and many varieties also put on a good autumn foliage display.

A single hamamelis is a real scene stealer in the winter garden, great in mixed borders or woodland planting, and perfect for underplanting with low-growing perennials and bulbs. Choose a spot where they can stand out as a focal point that will lure you into the garden to study the flowers up close and enjoy the scent. Or plant near a path or doorway where you can catch the winter spectacle in passing. If you have space to plant hamamelis in a small group you will create a big winter wow.

It's a real treat to come across such hot colouring in the winter. There are many hamamelis cultivars to choose from, ranging from pure yellow, through shades of orange and red. Breeders are always looking to push the boundaries of these variations with new hybrid crosses, with purple and white being elusive colours in the hamamelis palette. Yet with so many variations of brilliant colours in the depths of winter, we can be content with what is currently on offer.