Buttercup Winterhazel. This has become one of my favorite genera of ornamental plants. This species has the smallest foliage and flowers of the genus, with soft buttercup yellow flowers arranged in short hanging racemes of only 1.5" in late February to March. It has a spreading habit of 5-6' with an ultimate height of 4-5' with its leaves possessing a slightly bluish tint, and turning a soft yellow in fall. Performs best in filtered sun in well drained soil. It is native to Japan and Taiwan where it grows in natural wooded sites, and this is where it will perform best for us. On my numerous trips to Japan, I keep looking for a new cultivar of this plant, but I have never seen one.
