Bewitched
With form, foliage and confetti blooms, witch hazels make garden magic.
By Betsy Danielson
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN
Hamamelis
x intermedia
‘Arnold
Promise’
I can’t think of a plant as enchanting as
witch hazel, one that offers such an
extraordinary package of flowers, fall
foliage and form, and yet does so in
apparent obscurity. Witch hazels could be
the poster plant for the underappreciated.
That is too bad, since they offer so
much to gardeners. Their flowers are the
last to bloom in autumn and among the
first to bloom in spring. They bloom in
colors ranging from pale yellow to amber,
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orange, copper, bronze and red. Words
like wrinkled, crinkled, kinked, spidery
and ribbonlike describe the shape of the
petals. Garden designer Suzy Bales says
witch hazel flowers are “reminiscent of
confetti left dangling after a party.” The
fragrance of witch hazel flowers—sometimes intense, sometimes faint—is compelling, too.
But witch hazels are rarely used in
home gardens. In fact, the only witch
hazels I’ve seen in cultivation were in
public gardens. Their plight is analogous
to the fairy tale of Cinderella. She toiled
endlessly in obscurity until a handsome
prince noticed her. Consider this article as
the witch hazel’s handsome prince.
Meet the Witch Hazels
Witch hazels belong to the Witch Hazel
family (Hamamelidaceae), which includes
31 genera and 100 species of woody trees
Common
witch hazel
(H. virginiana)
or shrubs that are found widely scattered
around the globe from eastern North
America south to Central America and in
Australia, Asia, Malaysia, South Africa
and Madagascar. Interesting family members include Fothergilla, a small to medium-sized shrub with honey-scented,
white flowers; the tree, Persian parrotia
(Parrotia persica) known for its ridged,
exfoliating, mottled bark; and winter
hazel (Corylopsis), an early-blooming
shrub with pendulous, fragrant yellow
flowers. All can be grown in our area.
Four species of the witch hazel genus
(Hamamelis) are generally available to
northern gardeners. Two are native to our
country: common witch hazel (H. virginiana) and spring witch hazel (H. vernalis).
Two others, Chinese (H. mollis) and
Japanese witch hazel (H. japonica), are
native to Asia. A fifth type is a hybrid, H.
x intermedia, the result of accidental
crosses between Chinese and Japanese
witch hazels in the 1920s. The list of cultivars is impressive.
All flowers are fragrant, and Chinese
witch hazels are the most fragrant. Colors
vary from pale to bright yellow to shades
of orange and copper to deep red and
maroon. Bloom time is highly dependent
on weather conditions. Common witch
hazel blooms from midautumn to early
winter. Others bloom from midwinter to
early spring.
Blossoms are resistant to damage from
snow and low temperatures and will
BETSY DANIELSON
PHOTO COURTESY OF BAILEY NURSERIES INC
H. x intermedia
‘Jelena’
sometimes roll up on cold days to avoid
freeze damage. Fall foliage ranges from
yellow to orange to orange-red and red.
Sizes vary, too; the smallest is 8 feet high
by 10 feet wide and the largest is approximately 20 feet by 20 feet.
Common characteristics include:
• Striking, architectural form with horizontal branching;
• Coarse-textured, usually hairy foliage
that is uneven at the base and arranged
alternately on the stem;
• Scalloped or toothed leaf margins;
• Monoecious flowers (both sexes appear
on one flower) borne on bare branches
and arranged in clusters;
• Small, brownish fruit.
week isn’t received. Top-dress each fall
with a 2-inch layer of good compost.
Fertilizing isn’t necessary.
No serious insects or diseases affect
witch hazels; however, a non-life-threatening leaf gall can appear (except on
Chinese witch hazels) when they are
planted near birch trees. Witch hazels
aren’t normally deer forage.
Since cultivars are often grafted onto
rootstock of common or spring witch
hazels, suckers might form below the
graft. Carefully prune away the suckers
without damaging the bark. Besides
removing dead branches, no other pruning is necessary.
Designing with Witch Hazel
Growing Witch Hazel
With the exception of spring witch hazel,
all witch hazels are understory or woodland-edge plants and grow best in rich,
well-drained, moist soils with a neutral or
slightly acid pH. Spring witch hazel is
native to stream banks. Witch hazels prefer a site in full sun to part shade. While
some are hardy to USDA Zone 3, many
require a more protected position in our
cold climate.
As always, consider the mature height
and width of the plant when spacing
plants.
After planting, water thoroughly and
provide a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch.
Water the plants weekly throughout the
first two seasons if 1 inch of rainfall per
Witch hazels look good either in a shrub
border or as a specimen plant and work
well in all but the smallest of gardens. In a
naturalized setting, the border serves as a
windbreak; in an urban situation, privacy
can be the goal.
Good companion plants for witch
hazels in a shrub border include several
natives and, for contrast, some with finely
textured or variegated foliage such as
chokeberry (Aronia); dogwood (Cornus),
especially cultivars with variegated foliage
and brightly colored stems; hydrangea
(Hydrangea); mockorange (Philadelphus);
ninebark (Physocarpus); serviceberry
(Amelanchier) or viburnum (Viburnum),
especially arrowwood (V. dentatum); and
highbush cranberry (V. trilobum). Include
November/December 2014
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Bewitched
10 Favorite Witch Hazels
NAME
COMMON NAME
CULTIVAR
FLOWER COLOR
FALL
FOLIAGE COLOR
SIZE (HT X WI)
IN FEET
USDA
ZONE
H. japonica
Japanese witch hazel
var. flavopurpurascens
yellow-red giving an
appearance of purple
reddish yellow
10-15 x 10-15
5
H. mollis
Chinese witch hazel
‘Brevipetala’
deep yellow
yellow to orange-yellow
10 x 15
5
H. vernalis
Spring witch hazel
‘Autumn Embers’
yellow to red
orange
rich golden yellow
red-purple
10 x 15
8 x 10
4
4
‘Harvest Moon’
bright yellow
lemon yellow
yellow
yellow
15-20 x 15-20
15-19 x 8-10
3
3
‘Arnold Promise’
‘Diane’
‘Jelena’
‘Pallida’
golden yellow
deep bronzy red
deep orange-copper
pale yellow
yellow-orange-apricot
yellow-orange-red
orange-red
yellow
15 x 15
15 x 15
15 x 15
8 x 15
5
5
5
5
H. virginiana Common witch hazel
H. x intermedia Hybrid witch hazel
Bloom time for all witch hazels is highly dependent on weather conditions. H. virginiana blooms from midautumn to early winter.
Others bloom from midwinter to early spring.
Bloom of
‘Jelena’
witch hazel
Betsy Danielson is a horticulturist and
writer based in Pine County.
STEFFEN HAUSER
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN
Chinese
witch hazel
(H. mollis
‘Brevipetala’)
BETSY DANIELSON
evergreens in a shrub border, too, for winter color and a good background. The juxtaposition of delicate, strappy witch hazel
blossoms against a backdrop of juniper,
pine or spruce would be stunning.
Herbaceous companions include hellebores, early-flowering bulbs, late-blooming
perennials and evergreen groundcovers.
Witch hazel also can be a great accent
plant. It makes a strong architectural
statement and is distinctive in all seasons.
Consider placing one near a window, deck
or terrace or along an often-travelled
walkway where its fragrance can be especially appreciated.
With their fragrant, colorful, unusual
blossoms, witch hazels are fantastic in
indoor arrangements. Try a simple,
charming bunch of witch hazels by themselves or use in mixed bouquets. They can
be cut and brought indoors, either in
flower or in bud stage, to force.
With this many positive characteristics,
it’s a shame that witch hazel is not used
more. Perhaps next spring is the time to
wave your magic wand (or your credit
card) and bring this hidden beauty into
your garden.
Spring
witch hazel
(H. vernalis
‘Autumn
Embers’)
Healing Witch Hazel
A final, extraordinary aspect of common witch hazel is its healing power. For generations, Native Americans mixed its bark into poultices to treat wounds, abrasions
and skin irritations. Botanical witch hazel extract continues to be used in the health and beauty industry, by pharmaceutical companies, dermatologists and even
veterinarians. The extract is found in many types of skin, hair and body care products for people and animals.
—B.D.
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