While most plants are lying dormant, witch hazels spring into action with striking frost-resistant flowers that look perfect throughout winter. Sarah Brooks shows you how to choose and care for the best. Even people who never set foot in the garden know the name witch hazel. I remember all too well the cold sting of it being dabbed onto my frequently grazed knees at school. But what can it do for us grown-up gardeners? In the depths of winter, hardy, spidery flowers burst from its bare branches, offering rich scents, and welcome colour. The flowers span shades from the unripe lemon of Hamamelis japonica 'Sulphurea' to the spicy cinnamon of H. xintermedia 'Diane'. As if these mid-winter flowers weren't enough, in autumn the 15cm long soft, hairy, bottle-green leaves take on the vibrant tones of bonfire flames and steaming mulled wine before falling, extending the colourful appeal of these winter wonders from September through the depths of winter and into spring.
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