Hamamelis intermedia Aphrodite - Witch Hazel

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Aphrodite' is a fairly old selection of Witch Hazel still highly regarded for its vigour and beautiful flowering. This sturdy bush offers a generous and fragrant flowering in late winter, with a very warm rusty orange colour that does not go unnoticed in the garden. Its hazel-like, matte green foliage,  can turn yellow to red in autumn, depending on the soil and the year. This truly beautiful variety will enliven the garden at a time when flowers are rare, planted alongside other winter-flowering shrubs, on a carpet of early-flowering bulbs.

Hamamelis x intermedia Aphrodite is a horticultural variety introduced in 1985, probably resulting from cross-breeding between Hamamelis x intermedia 'Vesna' and H. x intermedia 'Pallida'. It is part of a group of cultivars resulting from the cross-breeding between Hamamelis japonica and H. mollis, originating respectively from Japan and China. All these plants belong to the hamamelidaceae family, which includes Loropetalum, Liquidambar, and Persian Parrotia.

'Aphrodite' slowly forms a vigorous bush, with a spreading habit and a broad crown, reaching an average of 3.50 m (11 ft 6 in) in all directions at maturity. Its deciduous foliage falls in autumn and reappears in spring. It consists of oval-shaped leaves, 7 to 13 cm (2.8 to 5.1 in) long and 7 to 13 cm (2.8 to 5.1 in) wide, initially light green in spring and becoming a brighter green in summer. It changes colour relatively little in autumn compared to other varieties. Its flowers, with a gently spicy fragrance, abound on the bare branches during the months of February and March. They are made up of orange petals with rusty highlights, enclosed in elongated and curiously wrinkled, twisted, almost claw-like, calyxes.

Hamamelis Aphrodite likes humus-rich, low-limestone, moist, light, or even rocky soils. It will thrive in a sunny or semi-shaded position. Plant it on the edge of woodlands, in front of large trees, or in the back of a border, alongside dogwoods (Cornus mas, Cornus officinalis), Daphnes, Pieris, Sarcococca, and the amazing Garrya elliptica James Roof, in warmer climates. It will also be magnificent in a border, combined with evergreen shrubs such as an autumn camellia or a Chimonanthus praecox. At its base, you can plant winter heathers, snowdrops, and Crocus.