In this week’s episode I’m speaking to Fiona Edmond of Green Island Gardens about one of the stars of the winter garden, the Hamamelis aka witch-hazel. Fiona is the holder of the National Collection of Hamamelis and she talks about their cultivation and goes through some of the fool-proof and some of the choicer varieties. I dare you not to buy one after listening!  Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Fig Wasps This episode is sponsored by gardencourses.com What we talk about: Fiona’s background and that of Green Island Gardens How Fiona came to have the National Collection of Hamamelis Their preferred soil and aspect and their hardiness Pruning Propagation Potential pests and diseases (hint: this is short answer!) What can they be underplanted with? Do they look particularly good in one sport of setting/against a certain type of plant as a background? The flower colour spectrum  Easy to grow cultivars and Fiona’s favourites About Green Island Gardens Green Island Gardens are private gardens, open for the public. Professionally designed by its owner Fiona Edmond, they are laid out as a series of structured gardens displaying a huge range of unusual trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs - 'A Plantsman’s Paradise’. Surely one of the best gardens open to visit in Essex. Recommended in Great British Gardens 2019 and Essex Days Out. 20 acres of Water Gardens, Seaside Garden, Japanese Garden, Gravel Garden, Woodland Gardens, Island beds and stunning colour everywhere. There is a tearoom serving light lunches, home-made teas and cream teas. The nursery offers plants all seen growing in the gardens. We now offer mail order service for the nursery during the lockdown period. We also run different courses and special events. Visitors will be able to enjoy flat and easy walking throughout the gardens. Links Green Island Gardens Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuTfQ6Aq6evRmBZ0fjfqwdA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greenislandgardens Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/greenislandgardensuk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/greenislandgdn