| General Description | A deciduous shrub with fragrant flowers that emerge before the foliage in early spring.
|
| Landscape | Foundations, shrub borders and woodland gardens. |
| Cultivation | Grow best in light, acidic, moist but well-drained soils in full sun to light shade. Flowers on old wood, so pruning should be done in early spring immediately after flowering. Remove flower shoots to the base on mature plants. |
| Pests | No serious insect or disease problems. Winter damage is a concern. |
| Notable Specimens | Caerhays Castle, Goran, Cornwall, United Kingdom. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Red-brown to chestnut-brown branches. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Flower buds form in autumn and overwinter on the plant in pendant, catkin-like racemes that hang from the leaf axils. |
| Leaf Description | Ovate, tapered, serrate, medium green leaves to 20 cm long. Foliage may turn rosy red and yellow in autumn. |
| Flower Description | Each flowering raceme 10 cm long, typically has 10-20 tiny, bell-shaped, 4-petaled, yellow-green flowers. |