Common witch hazel

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; tolerates deeper shade but flowers less freely.

Water

Moderate; keep the root zone evenly moist while establishing. Established plants tolerate brief dry spells but suffer in prolonged drought.

Soil

Moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter; prefers acidic to neutral conditions. Avoid waterlogged ground and very chalky soil.

Height

15-20 ft (4.6-6.1 m), occasionally taller

Spread

15-20 ft (4.6-6.1 m)

Flowers

Autumn into early winter; yellow flowers with four narrow, crinkled petals, sometimes partly hidden by the remaining leaves.

Foliage

Broad, green leaves with wavy or shallowly toothed edges and uneven bases; turn yellow in autumn.

Growth

Slow to moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Cold hardy
• Wildlife
• Low allergen
• Fragrant

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   2.1 ft (0.64 m)

2. After 1 year

   4 ft (1.4 m)

3. After 2 years

   7 ft (2.1 m)

4. After 3 years

   9 ft (2.8 m)

5. After 5 years

   14 ft (4.3 m)

About 7 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the US and Canada

Growth rate

Slow

• Water deeply during dry spells for the first two growing seasons.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of leaf mould or composted bark over the root zone, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Water established plants during prolonged drought, especially in hot, exposed sites.
• Feed only if growth is weak; use a light application of a balanced shrub fertiliser in spring.
• Avoid digging around the roots, and allow enough space for the naturally spreading branches.

Pruning. Prune sparingly in late winter or early spring, after flowering and before new growth. Remove dead, damaged or crossing branches and unwanted basal suckers; avoid shearing or routinely shortening all the shoots.

Late winter

Remove damaged or crossing branches after flowering, keeping the natural branching shape.

Spring

Plant container-grown shrubs while the soil is moist, then water thoroughly.

Mid-spring

Renew the organic mulch without piling it against the stems.

Summer

Check soil moisture during hot weather and water deeply if the root zone is drying out.

Autumn

Enjoy the yellow foliage and flowers; collect ripe seed capsules before they split if you want to propagate it.

Late autumn

Plant while the soil remains workable and unfrozen; water new plants if rainfall is insufficient.

• Plant at a woodland edge with ferns and shade-tolerant perennials beneath its open branches.
• Use as a large specimen where its spreading outline and autumn colour can be seen from the house.
• Include in an informal mixed shrub border to extend flowering into autumn.
• Use in an eastern North American native planting as an understory shrub beneath widely spaced deciduous trees.

Garden styles it suits: Woodland, Wildlife garden, Autumn colour, Sensory garden, New England and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Christmas fern, Foamflower, Wild ginger, Solomon's seal, Oakleaf hydrangea and Virginia sweetspire.

Wildlife: Late flowers provide pollen and nectar for autumn-active insects, including flies and moths. Birds and small mammals eat some seeds, and the branches provide cover.

• Drought scorch: brown leaf edges and premature leaf fall can follow dry weather; water deeply and maintain an organic mulch.
• Powdery mildew: a white coating may develop on leaves; improve airflow and avoid crowding. Established shrubs rarely need treatment.
• Leaf spots: usually cosmetic; collect heavily affected fallen leaves and avoid routinely wetting the foliage.
• Witch-hazel cone gall aphids: small cone-shaped growths appear on leaves; tolerate light infestations, which seldom harm the shrub.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs or horses. Ordinary garden contact is not considered hazardous to people, but leaves and bark contain tannins and can cause stomach upset if eaten in quantity. Do not treat the shrub or commercial witch-hazel preparations as food; products may contain alcohol or other ingredients unsafe to swallow.

• Ozark witch hazel (Hamamelis vernalis)

  Usually smaller and more strongly suckering, with flowers opening in late winter or early spring rather than autumn; flowers are often orange to reddish near the centre.

• Hybrid witch hazel (Hamamelis × intermedia)

  Usually flowers on bare branches in late winter or early spring, with yellow, orange or red flowers depending on the cultivar, rather than the autumn flowers of common witch hazel.

• American hazelnut (Corylus americana)

  Has more sharply toothed leaves, long hanging catkins in late winter or spring, and edible nuts in leafy husks; it lacks ribbon-like autumn flowers.

The word 'witch' is generally traced to an old word meaning pliant or bendable, while 'hazel' refers to the leaves' resemblance to those of hazelnut.

Propagation. Grow from seed collected from ripe capsules before they eject it. Seed needs a warm period followed by cold stratification and may take 18 months or longer to germinate; keep seed pots protected from rodents. Rooting cuttings is difficult and unreliable for most home gardeners.

Accepted botanical name

Hamamelis virginiana

In the US and Canada

Native in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and Louisiana.

Measured

Soil pH 4.5 to 6.2. Average height 450 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.