Community ClicksWitch hazel, a large deciduous shrub with forked branches and spider-like flowers, provides dazzling foliage in fall and brightly colored flowers to wintery landscapes. This colorful plant has enjoyed a colorful history over the centuries.
Native Americans boiled the bark and leaves of common witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) for medicinal purposes. Witch hazel water was used as an astringent to reduce irritation and treat bug bites. Poultices of fresh leaves and bark were used to reduce inflammation and witch hazel teas were used to treat dysentery, coughs and colds. Some colonists even used the pliable crooked branches of witch hazel for witching sticks to search for underground water sources. Growing witch hazel in the garden is easy as this plant is very adaptable. It grows naturally in partial or light shade but can tolerate full sun in the Pacific Northwest, and likes a moist, well-drained acid soil.
There are several species in the witch hazel family, including the Eastern North American native Hamamelis virginiana, the Chinese Hamamelis mollis and the Japanese Hamamelis japonica.
H. virginiana is a large shrub growing to 20 feet in height. Its leaves are oval and dark green from above and paler beneath. In fall, the leaves turn yellow with rusty spots.
H. japonica, typically more shrub-like than tree-like, can grow to 12 to 20 feet tall and broad. Its fall foliage is dazzling in shades of red, yellow and purple.
H. mollis grows 8 to 12 feet tall and wide, but can reach tree-like heights of 25 feet. Its leaves are rounder than H. virginiana or H. japonica, dark green above with grey felted undersides. In the fall its foliage turns pure yellow.
Hamamelis x intermedia is a popular hybrid of H. japonica and H. mollis with a height and breadth somewhere in between the two.
Varieties of H. x intermedia offer a wide range of flower and fall foliage colors. Popular varieties include Jelena (orange), Diane (red to copper-red), Orange Beauty (orange, yellow-orange), Primavera (yellow), Ruby Glow (red-orange) and Arnold’s Promise (yellow).
Visit your local nursery to find which varieties are available locally. H. x intermedia is often grafted, so suckers growing beneath the graft should be removed. All other pruning should be limited to removing broken, diseased or poorly placed branches and those occasional flowering stems taken for bouquets.
In addition to planting witch hazel directly into the landscape, it can be successfully grown in a large container right outside your front door or on a deck where it is in full view. Consider adding outdoor lighting around your witch hazel to show off its colors and to emphasize its crooked branching.
Wherever you choose to locate your witch hazel, its bright fall foliage and spidery winter flowers are sure to attract attention and add personality to your landscape.
Judy English is a certified Washington State University Clallam County Master Gardener.
For more gardening information, attend the Class Act educational series at the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden, 2711 Woodcock Road. These free educational events are held at 10 a.m. on the first and third Saturdays of each month. On Saturday, Oct. 15, Rita Dinger will talk about terrariums.
