"weeble" wrote in message
...

Hi! This is my first time posting, and I am hoping someone will be able
to help me sort out the aforementioned witch hazel?

It's a long story, but I moved to Yorkshire from Oxford in 2005, and
brought with me a young corkscrew witch hazel, which I had planted up
in a tub with some dwarf daffodils. I haven't managed to sort out its
permanent home yet, but it has been quite happy in its pot, throwing
out new branches most years, and covering itself with lovely healthy
leaves each spring.

The problem is, it isn't cork screwing. All but one of the branches
are straight as a dye. I upgrade its pot whenever necessary, and it
really looks very happy, it just seems to want to be straight. Does
anyone have any ideas that might get it to cork screw properly as it is
supposed to do??

All suggestions gratefully received.



My experience with twisted Hazels is that nothing can be done to make a
'straight' shoot into a corkscrew branch. But provided you ruthlessly cut
out all the 'straight' shoots and suckers whenever they arise, only allowing
corkscrew branches to develop, you should be OK. So in your case, I'd lop
off the straight branches as near to the bole or the ground as possible,
keep on top of any straight regrowths, and hope for the best.