Quick Guide: spring, hardy, semi-shade, height: 5.5m/18ft, width: 3m/10ft
Like the winter-flowering jasmine, witch hazels produce yellow flowers on bare stems before the leaves unfurl. They make good specimen trees or can be incorporated in a shrub border. The branches, with their spidery flowers, can be cut for decoration - they last well in water. In autumn the leaves take on beautiful coloured tints.
GROWING Plant between autumn and spring in slightly acid, moisture-retentive soil on a site sheltered from cold winds. Prune established specimens after flowering, cutting hack unruly branches.
PROPAGATION Layer suitable shoots in early autumn. Named varieties must be grafted on to rootstock of Hamamelis virginiana (common witch hazel) under glass.
VARIETIES `Atropurpureum' (above), bronze foliage; `Dissectum', dwarf form with deeply cut leaves; `Koreanum', striped bark, leaves brilliant red in autumn; `Sessifolium Osakazuki' has the finest autumn colours - a combination of fiery orange, crimson and scarlet.
POSSIBLE PROBLEMS Generally trouble-free.
