The winter months are all too often a bleak and dreary time. But gardens don’t have to be uninviting gloomy places during the cold months. It really isn’t good sense to allow our gardens to lapse into no-go areas during the winter period. A quick look through any garden book will soon show that there are any number of plants that will do a good job of brightening up a seemingly dead garden just when we need the inspiration of bright colours to take our eye. You could try hellebores which come in a variety of shapes and colours, bergenias with their red foliage, the deceptively hardy cyclamen family or any of the various dogwoods with their vivid barks, but for me the best of all are the witch hazels which come with the added bonus of distinctive scent.

For most of us with limited time to spend in the garden our plants need to look good for as long a period as possible. In autumn the leaves on many witch hazels will turn to a deep rich yellow or brilliant orange or red whilst later on during the winter months the flowers, with their intoxicating perfume, grow on bare branches. From choice witch hazels would grow in a lime-free, moisture-retentative, humus-rich soil but they are surprisingly tolerant and will adapt to a wide range of conditions. If you have a small garden and space is important pruning will keep your plant in check. Give young plants a year to establish and to help keep them compact and bushy prune annually by cutting the strong shoots back to two or three buds. Early spring is the time to do this as soon as the flowers fade but before the leaves open.

If your plant is already too large by careful pruning you should be able to keep its shape. The first thing is to reduce any congestion within the plant, cut out crossed branches as well as diseased or weak growth. Step back and take a good look at your plant and where necessary cut back two or three of the longer branches. Whilst this will reduce the height and spread of the shrub to remove too much at once can cause damage and may weaken the plant. A little and often is better so plan to spread the pruning gradually over the next few years.

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Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here