March Plant of the Month

Corylopsis pauciflora (Winter Hazel) is a beautiful little shrub that deserves to be grown more widely. From early March its bare branches are clothed in pendent clusters of sweetly scented, primrose yellow flowers. The flowers continue into April and are a food source for emerging bees. I like it combined with the blue flowers of Pulmonaria ‘Blue Ensign’, then the bees can buzz between the two like a taster menu.

Attractive serrated leaves emerge after the flowers and are bronze tinted at first before turning green as the season progresses.

This is a shrub for partially shaded borders or a woodland edge. It will grow to about 150cm high and 250cm wide, so bushy and spreading in habit, but relatively slow growing. Tuck it in where its sweetly scented flowers can be appreciated.