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Witch Hazels at Swallow Hayes – a garden visit in January (part two)

A door into the children's den.

And so we continue our gentle cold wander around the wintry splendour of Swallow Hayes …….

The promise of Viburnum bodnantense flowers.
A secret, sunken garden for ferns shaded by a roof of climbers.
Sweetly scented winter honeysuckle.
Old rose hips curled and desiccated.
The unusual combination of pale pink and green together in the tassels of Garrya elliptica.
Primrose yellow cup-shaped flowers of a Hellebore.
This pink-flowered Hellebore invites you to turn its flowers over for a close look inside.
I am not a fan of Hellebores with double flowers but I was attracted to the colour of this one.
Silvery marbled variegation like a spider's web.
Paint splattered variegation.

And now to those Witch Hazels! These are not Hazels at all, but related to Parrotias, Fothergillas and of course the Sycopsis we saw in the first Swallow Hayes blog. Their unusually shaped flowers are in every shade of yellow, orange and red and give warming scents in the winter garden. Witch Hazels are well-known for their medicinal properties and are used in aftershave as well as in the treatment of bruises and insect bites. So, beautiful and useful!

The flowers are made up of long, thin strips of petals like curling ribbons or spiders, and appear on bare stems. Several Witch Hazels available to us were bred in Kalmhout in Belgium and the first photo shows one with the unglamorous name of “Kalmhout 999”. Kalmhout is an arboretum in Belgium run by Jelena and Robert de Kelder. Jelena has given her name to my favourite Witch Hazel which you will see in my blog “A Wander around the Garden in February” which I will post in the next few days. Two more of their developments are “Diane”, named after their daughter and “Livia”, named after their granddaughter.

This Witch Hazel matches its colour to its scent, the flowers coloured orange and emitting an aroma of oranges.
The aptly named "Ripe Corn".
"Ripe Corn", "Livia" and "Strawberries and Cream"
Livia
Strawberries and Cream
Orange Peel
Advent
Rubin
Diane
Jermyns Gold

By greenbenchramblings

A retired primary school head teacher, I now spend much of my time gardening in our quarter acre plot in rural Shropshire south of Shrewsbury. I share my garden with Jude my wife a newly retired teacher , eight assorted chickens and a plethora of wildlife. Jude does all the heavy work as I have a damaged spine and right leg. We also garden on an allotment nearby. We are interested in all things related to gardens, green issues and wildlife.

One reply on “Witch Hazels at Swallow Hayes – a garden visit in January (part two)”

fantastic really amazing. had not realised you had such a wonderful garden and you have the allotment and your commitments there too!!! well done to you both regards Wendy BAC

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