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Winter-blooming Witch Hazel

BY Kevin Lee Jacobs | March 13, 2012 4 Comments

Last updated on April 1st, 2015

LAST EVENING, I took advantage of the weird, mid-March heatwave (68 degrees!) by spending a little “me” time in the Serpentine Garden. There,  while sitting on a sun-warmed stone wall (and while sipping a goblet of Cabernet Sauvignon) I inhaled one of the loveliest perfumes in the world — that of the winter-blooming Witch hazel,  Hamamelis vernalis. Why I love this shrub in all seasons:

No matter how cold or mild the winter, vernalis is always a welcome surprise. The spidery, stem-hugging  flowers appear in late February or early March, when the rest of the garden is barren and gray.  The flowers are copper-colored, and intensely fragrant. A bouquet of  stems will scent a whole room.

From spring through summer, the shrub (above, left) adorns itself in green, ovate leaves. The leaves turn gold in autumn.

Culture: For such a beautiful shrub,  Hamamelis is extremely easy to care for.  It prefers full sun, and will tolerate all kinds of soil. Mine flourishes on a steep, south-facing bank, and in clay soil that I amended with plenty of leaf mold. Provide water the first spring and summer, but thereafter you needn’t bother. The shrub will attain a height and spread of 6-10 feet in as many years,  so give it ample room to grow. It is hardy in zones 4-8. It is also pest and disease-free, and deer-resistant.

For scented winter flowers,  summer greenery and autumn color, you really can’t beat Hamamelis vernalis.  Can you imagine this shrub in your own garden?

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Comments

  1. 1

    will swift says

    March 18, 2012 at 2:02 pm

    why has no one commented on this interesting post?

  2. 2

    BlueLapis says

    March 20, 2012 at 8:13 am

    I LOVE witchhazel! It is the only thing that calms my awful dry skin. But I grow Hamamelis Virginiana. I use the bark off of my trimmings to make a decoction, that when added to a simple cream base or even bath water is so soothing for dry skin.

  3. 3

    Deb Haack says

    May 15, 2012 at 12:26 am

    I have looked at a few nurseries but have not been able to locate a place where I can purchase these fine plants of Hamamelis Vernalis. Does anyone have any suggestion or ideas. This will grow in my clay soil. Would love to plant some.
    Thank you so much
    Deb Haack

  4. 4

    Lisa says

    November 4, 2019 at 9:21 pm

    I just bought and planted a witch hazel… and happened upon your post. Hoping mine brings as much perfume as yours!

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