Witch hazel: Everything about varieties, location & care

The witch hazel is one of the particularly early blooming trees in the garden. Here you can find out everything you should know about the witch hazel.

In autumn you can see the colorful foliage of the deciduous wood from afar glowing in yellow, orange and red and even in winter the witch hazel does its magic (Witch hazel) colorful flowers in the garden. Outside of the flowering period, the witch hazel is similar in growth to the hazelnut (Corylus avellana). But that's where the similarities stop. The witch hazel belongs (unlike the hazelnut) to the witch hazel family (Hamamelidaceae). This family can be traced back to the Cretaceous 100 million years ago and is therefore one of the oldest flowering plants on earth. Despite this long history, the witch hazel is still rarely found in German gardens, and the queen is the Winter bloomers are a real eye-catcher that does not require a lot of care in the right location and bees and bumblebees are one of the first Serves food sources.

Witch hazel: properties, types and varieties

There are only five different types of witch hazel in the world, all of which are native to the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Three species come from eastern North America and two species call eastern regions of Asia their home. There were probably also species native to Europe, but they probably became extinct during the last Ice Age. Among the species that still exist, the greatest differences are those whose spatial separation is also the greatest - especially with regard to the length of the flowering phase and the size of the flowers. Here is a brief overview of the five types of witch hazel:

Virginian witch hazel or autumn flowering witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana): This species is an economically used medicinal plant, the active ingredients of which have hemostatic, anti-inflammatory and antipruritic effects. This species is the only species to show its pale yellow flowers in autumn. As a result, the flowers are still partially covered by leaves.

Spring witch hazel (Hamamelis vernalis): The flowering period is between January and February. The species has short and orange-yellow petals. The leaves are bare except for the midrib.

Large-leaved witch hazel (Hamamelis ovalis): This is the youngest Witch hazel-Art. It was only discovered in 2006. It blooms from December to January in colors ranging from yellow, orange to red and even pink.

Japanese witch hazel (Hamamelis japonica): The flowering period is between January and February; the flowers are a strong yellow. The species is more sensitive to frost than the others and curls up its petals at low temperatures. Your autumn leaves are bright red.

Chinese witch hazel (Hamamelis mollis): The golden yellow, delicately scented flowers appear from February to March. The petals are up to four inches long.

But it's not just the species that differ. A wide range of varieties gives you the choice between flowers in colors of green, yellow, orange and red, which have a weak to intense scent. The same color variation can be found in the intensely colored autumn leaves of the witch hazel varieties.

Popular types of witch hazel and their varieties

The two Asian varieties are particularly popular as ornamental plants. They have particularly large flowers that show from December through March. No wonder that there are now also hybrids (Hamamelis × intermedia) out of the two types there. The hybrids have the advantage that the alternative of the Chinese witch hazel was bred out of them. That means that they bloom the same amount every year. Usually, years with a leaner flower yield always follow years with a lot of flowers. These advantages make most of the commercially available varieties one of the Hamamelis × intermedia. Here are a few beautiful and diverse varieties of witch hazel:

'Pallida': Smells of primroses; large yellow flowers; blooms in mild areas as early as Christmas.

'Jelena': Bright red-orange flowers; scarlet foliage; early flowering with very long petals that become lighter towards the tip.

'Diane': Intense red flowers that turn brown-red towards the base; Flowering does not begin until February; Autumn leaves orange-yellow to scarlet; small growing.

'Primavera': Medium-sized, golden yellow flowers; slightly curled petals; blooming early.

"Arnold Promise": Medium-sized flower; deep light yellow; willing to flower and vigorous; spreading, bushy growth; light fragrance; Autumn color yellow; small growing.

Buy witch hazel: when and where?

It is best to use the planting time as a guide when buying. The shopping tour is therefore made in autumn so that the freshly acquired precious bushes can go straight into the ground. Container plants can also be planted in spring. This means that even after the winter, you can take a tour of the hardware store, specialist retailer or tree nursery you trust. If you don't want to leave the cozy house in the first place, there are a large number of online mail order companies for plants on the Internet. Invest a few minutes in choosing mail order and read through customer reviews. In this way you benefit from the experiences you have already made and do not commit the same mistakes again.

Planting witch hazel in the garden

The choice of location should be carefully considered when planting, because a witch hazel takes years to take root and grow properly. It is particularly important here to pay attention to the nature of the soil. Because the otherwise frugal shrubs are more demanding when it comes to soil: They are sensitive to drought, compaction and waterlogging. The floor should have the following properties:

• Relaxed
• Profound
• Permeable
• Slightly damp
• Very rich in humus

The perfect location for the witch hazel

The witch hazel prefers a sunny to partially shaded location that is as protected as possible. Although the precious shrub is hardy, the flowering suffers if the weather conditions are too harsh in winter. The stormy easterly winds also cause problems for the plants. A protected location, on the other hand, ensures continuous flowering. The slow-growing shrubs need two to three years to get used to their new location and to take root. After that, the plant sprouts vigorously and can no longer tolerate transplanting. You should therefore think twice about where your witch hazel should eke out its existence. Because even if the transplanting has been well prepared, the next bloom will only be sparse. But not only the lack of joy in moving should be taken into account. The plants that are weak in terms of competition prefer to stand on their own. They are therefore wonderfully suitable as solitary plants. When planting in groups, it is important to keep enough distance, because the crowns can be four to five meters wide. Groups of varieties with different foliage shades look particularly beautiful. If you want to socialize your witch hazel in spite of a weakly competitive root system, you will find the right planting partners and further tips for a successful one here Planting the witch hazel.

tip: To improve the soil for the witch hazel and to promote the build-up of humus, you can use a so-called soil activator. Our Plantura Organic soil activator contains living microorganisms that promote the uptake of nutrients by the plant.

Witch hazel: planting time and method of planting

The witch hazel is planted in autumn before the first frost. If you have purchased container plants, they can also be planted in spring. Handling container plants is generally a little easier than handling bare-root shrubs. However, even the bare-root specimens will not cause you any problems with the following instructions. The first two points do not apply when planting container goods:

1. Put roots in water for about an hour
2. Carefully loosen the roots and separate them slightly
3. Loosen the soil well
4. Planting hole: about twice as large as the root ball
5. Enrich the excavated soil with compost and loosen it well again
6. Place the plant straight into the planting hole
7. Only set the plant so deep that the ball of the pot can still be seen on the surface
8. Fill the planting hole with prepared soil
9. Cover the root area with bark mulch
10. Do not work the soil after planting

It is advisable to cut back the plant a little after planting.

Summary: planting witch hazel in the garden

• Location: Sun to light shade; as protected as possible
• Soil: loose, deep, well-drained, fresh to slightly moist, very humus-rich
• Pay attention to sufficient planting distance and weakness of competition of the roots
• Planting time: autumn, with container plants also possible in spring

Prune the witch hazel properly

Witch hazel doesn't even have to be cut back. Usually they form a beautiful and regular crown all by themselves. If the plants are pruned heavily, the plants can even perish, because the slow-growing plants are very difficult to sprout out of old wood. Their wound healing also leaves a lot to be desired. Minimal shape cuts can still be made. Plants like to do without a branch for the vase. But there is not much more to it.

The right time to cut witch hazel

If you want to cut back, the best time is spring after flowering. After the vegetation stop in winter, the plant has the most energy. This can then be put into wound healing and new growth.

The procedure for cutting witch hazel

With witch hazel, you should really restrain yourself when pruning, because the plants don't necessarily thank you for pruning. If you are already cutting back, please use particularly sharp and clean secateurs. In this way, the poorly healing wounds are minimized. It is best to steer clear of fully mature, thicker branches and limit yourself to young, thin shoots. The following applies to pruning a witch hazel:

• Prune as little as possible
• Avoid radical cuts
• Just thin out slightly
• Remove dry twigs and branches

Remember that even a well-thought-out pruning will result in a meager flower yield in the following year. More information for the ideal Cut your witch hazel, You will find here.

Caring for witch hazel properly

If you have observed everything important when planting, witch hazel is an extremely undemanding winter bloomer. They only need to be watered if the drought persists. Make sure that waterlogging does not form and that the soil does not dry out completely. A layer of bark mulch that covers the root area protects against drying out. This layer of mulch is removed and replaced every year during fertilization. The annual fertilization takes place in spring and is particularly necessary in sandy soil. Just do the following:

• Old mulch layer is removed
• Enrich the compost with some horn shavings
• Apply a 2 - 3 cm high layer of the mixture in the root area
• Apply a new layer of mulch in the root area

In late summer or early autumn, you should give your witch hazel another nutrient fertilizer. Use a primarily organic fertilizer like our Plantura Organic universal fertilizer. This sustainably promotes soil life and thus ensures the good soil quality so urgently needed by the witch hazel.

You should also use Kalimagnesia (patent potash) so that the plant sheds all leaves in good time before flowering. So you have an undisturbed view of the flowers. This is particularly necessary with varieties such as ‘Sunburst’ and ‘Brevipetala’, some of which do not shed their leaves until spring. If your witch hazel feels neglected, it will show you this by poor growth and poor to no bloom. A lack of flowering can have the following reasons:

• dryness
• Cut back
• frost

Heavy frost can postpone flowering for several weeks back into February. In the case of young witch hazel, the crown can be covered with fleece to protect it from heavy frost in winter. How to protect the flowers. The shoots are extremely hardy and do not need any protection.

The witch hazel is a fairly undemanding garden dweller who gets by without much maintenance. More tips for a easy-care garden design You will find here.