Hamamelis has it all: glorious colours, heavenly scents and healing magic

ALTHOUGH the late winter garden may still seem dull, spring is just around the corner and the signs are already here. And meanwhile, there are plenty of projects to keep you busy in the garden this month which will give you a head-start on the upcoming season.

At Harlow Carr, many spring-flowering trees and shrubs are just waiting to burst into bloom, if they haven’t already.

The Hamamelis are already looking absolutely amazing. Hamamelis Virginiana and Hamamellis Mollis are starting to flower and smell scrumptious. A couple of my favourites are Hamamellis japonica and x intermedia pallida, which are filling the garden with an incredible scent and brightening up some of these grey days.

We are about to increase our stocks of Hamamelis here in the gardens, making the woodland one of the best collections in the North. Hamamelis witch hazel is very well known and can be used for a huge variety of purposes such as dowsing rods to locate water.

It also has medicinal uses and its astringent properties are used to cleanse and soothe skin, with its high tannin content it can dry, tighten and harden tissue and remove excess oil. It is excellent for haemorrhoids, bruises, reduction of swelling, reducing bags under your eyes and for gardeners’ hands. I use it myself on a regular basis. It is even good for insect bites.

I have spent a good few winters working in the gardens and this time of year is one of my favourite for all the scents and colours that brighten the dreary winter days. Hamamelis especially brings winter cheer, Hamamellis Mollis or Chinese witch hazel is a species of flowering plant in the witch hazel family, Hamamelis daceae, native to central and eastern China, is a deciduous large shrub growing to about 8m tall.

The Latin term mollis means “soft” and refers to the felted leaves which turn a bright yellow in autumn. The flowers are yellow often with a red base and four ribbon-shaped petals about 15mm long, four short stamens growing in clusters, comings into bloom in late winter or early spring on bare branches. They are valued for their strong scent.

Another good one for any garden is Hamamellis x intermedia, with bright cheery yellow flowers from December to February and a heavenly scent, earning it a Royal Horticultural Society Garden Merit award.

The Northern Echo:
Hamamelis x intermedia Diane

It grows to a height of about 4m, with spectacular autumn colour turning from bright green to shades of yellow, orange and red – lovely. It is perfect for a sunny or partiallyshaded border, or woodland garden.

If you fancy spicing up your garden a few excellent varieties to choose from are, Hamamellis x intermedia pallida Diane, which is pink/orange, the red Ruby Glow and gold Barnstedt, Rochester Livia, Aurora and Arnold Promise.

To do this week...

  • Protect garden pots containing tender plants with hessian or straw.
  • Consider pruning Wisteria to three or four buds, to encourage flowering.
  • Tidy up or cut back some herbaceous perennials that have gone over.