Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden - Richmond, Virginia, USA

Common name: Chinese fragrant winterhazel

Family: Hamamelidaceae (witch-hazel)

Distribution: Japan, Korea

Life form: Shrub

Description: This selection seems to be the strongest-scented of all the Corylopsis in our collection, and it also seems to have about the deepest/brightest yellow flowers of any Corylopsis we have. The fragrance is a sort of sharp-sweet lemon-primrose scent that can be enjoyed in proximity to the plant, and also wafts; a lemony scent is not uncommon among fragrant members of the genus, but the strength and quality varies widely. This one is especially strong and good. Its inflorescences aren’t the largest in the genus, but they are reasonably full-looking and of medium length, and individual florets are a good size. The plant (at least when grown in sun/partial shade with moist, reasonably fertile and well-drained soil) also has slightly zig-zag branching, thick, stocky stems, a relatively full habit and large, thick, rounded blue-green leaves, so it is attractive during the summer and winter and makes a good foil for other plants. In a nutshell, none of those qualities are totally unique by themselves, but the combinat