Magical witch hazel
The witch hazel is a wonderful plant for January flowering, its spidery flowers are carried on bare branches and are delightfully fragrant. The scent is remarkable for its ability to carry on many metres away from the tree. If the weather is windy, the scent is lost but on a warm spring afternoon, it is a real delight. The usual colour is a warm yellow but pale yellow, orange and rusty red kinds are available.
Probably the most widely grown is the lovely variety called 'Pallida', which has bright sulphur-yellow flowers compared to the more deep-yellow of the original species. The orange kinds are really lovely too and one of the best of these is called 'Jelena'. Plants in flower can be bought in garden centres at this time of year, which offers you the opportunity to choose the colour you prefer.
Another of the witch hazel's qualities is its elegant habit of growth. The main branches soar outwards and upwards. The main branches are often arranged so that the centre of the tree is open. While the witch is usually classed as a shrub, it is much better to consider it as a small tree. This will ensure that it will be given a position with room to develop. Besides, it really is a small tree, eventually capable of about five metres height and width.
In autumn, it colours very beautifully to yellow with tints of red and orange. Witch hazel is easy to grow. It dislikes limy soil and needs plenty of humus in the form of leaf mould dug in, and leaf mould mulches, if it is grown in a limy area. Give it a position where the flowers can be seen in winter backlit against dark backdrop, but a position of prominence with a little shelter.
Cannot wait for spring?
If you want to bring some colour indoors and cannot wait for spring shrubs to flower, it is possible to force branches of some kinds by cutting them and bringing them into a warm place. Suitable shrubs include flowering currant, pussy willows, forsythia and Japanese quince. Even magnolia often obliges.
Simply prune off the branches you want, making sure they are well furnished with flower buds. Stand these in buckets of water in a warm place, such as a greenhouse or conservatory or even the kitchen. The more heat available, the more quickly the flowers will be forced, but too much heat and dry air can cause the shoots to shrivel. It is beneficial to first stand them in water in a cool place to begin to draw up the water. An aspirin tablet or a couple of drops of bleach will keep the water clean.
In the past, all Christmas trees were liable to shed their foliage in a warm room during their two-week period in the house. The species used were Norway and Sitka spruce and pine, the latter two to a lesser extent. Then along came the 'non-shed' kind. The first non-shed kind was the noble fir, often called 'noblis' or 'nobilis' by the sellers. This plant often had a bluish tinge as blue trees were much admired in Europe, which offered an export market. Some of them tended to be yellowish, but this was more to do with unsuitable soil conditions.
Before buying a tree, measure the height of the ceiling and allow for the height of the tree holder. Make sure to buy a tree that does not need much taken
off its height if anything at all. Any reduction in size can be made by cutting off part of the tree-butt this can be awkward if you have not got a proper saw and is best avoided by buying the right size. In general, never cut a piece off the top stem as this spoils the proportions of the tree. Always disconnect tree lights when not supervised as there is a fire risk as the foliage dries out.
