Witch Hazel: Everything about varieties, location & care

The witch hazel is one of the most early flowering trees in the garden. Here you can find out everything you need to know about witch hazel.

In autumn you can see the colorful foliage of the deciduous tree glowing in yellow, orange and red from afar and the witch hazel (witch hazel) colorful flowers in the garden. Outside the flowering period, the growth of witch hazel is similar to that of hazelnuts (Corylus avellana). But that's where the similarities stop. The witch hazel (unlike the hazelnut) belongs to the witch hazel family (Hamamelidaceae). This family can be traced back to the Cretaceous period, 100 million years ago, making it one of the oldest overgrown plants on earth. Despite this long history, the witch hazel is still rarely found in German gardens, although the queen of the Winter bloomers are real eye-catchers that do not require much care in the right location and bees and bumblebees are among the first serves as 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 are native to 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 ones that differ the most 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 whose active ingredients have a haemostatic, anti-inflammatory and antipruritic effect. This species is the only species that shows its delicate yellow flowers in autumn. As a result, the flowers are still partially covered by foliage.

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

Large-leaved witch hazel (Hamamelis ovalis): This is the youngest witch hazel-Art. It was only discovered in 2006. It flowers 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 rolls up its petals at low temperatures. Her 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 centimeters long.

But not only the species differ. A wide range of varieties gives you the choice between flowers in colors from green, yellow, orange to red, which smell weak to intense. The same color variance can be found in the intensively colored autumn leaves of the witch hazel varieties.

Popular witch hazel species and their varieties

The two Asian varieties are particularly popular as ornamental plants. They have particularly large flowers that appear from December to March. No wonder that there are now also hybrids (Hamamelis × intermedia) from the two types exist. The hybrids have the advantage that the alternation of the Chinese witch hazel has been bred away. This means that they bloom at the same rate every year. Normally years with a lot of flowers are always followed by years with a meager flower yield. Due to these advantages, most commercially available varieties belong to the Hamamelis × intermedia. Here are a few beautiful and diverse varieties of witch hazel:

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

'Yelena': Bright red-orange flowers; scarlet foliage coloration; early flowering with very long petals that lighten towards the tip.

'diane': Intense red flowers that turn brown-red towards the base; flowering begins only in February; fall foliage orange-yellow to scarlet; short stature

'Primavera': Medium-sized, golden yellow flowers; slightly ruffled petals; early flowering.

'Arnold Promise': medium-sized flower; deep light yellow, willing to flower and vigorous; sprawling, bushy growth; light fragrance; autumn color yellow; short stature

Buy witch hazel: when and where?

It is best to base your purchase on the planting time. The shopping tour is therefore made in autumn so that the freshly acquired noble shrubs can go directly into the ground. Container plants can also be planted in spring. Accordingly, even after the winter, a round in the hardware store, specialist shop or the tree nursery of trust can be made. If you don't want to leave your cozy house at all, there are a number of online mail order companies for plants on the Internet. When choosing a mail order company, invest a few minutes and read customer reviews. In this way, you benefit from the experiences you have already made and do not make the same mistakes made by others again.

Plant witch hazel in the garden

The choice of location should be carefully considered when planting, because a witch hazel needs years to take root and grow properly. It is particularly important to pay attention to the nature of the soil. Because the otherwise undemanding shrubs are rather demanding when it comes to the 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 semi-shady location that is as sheltered as possible. Although the noble shrub is hardy, the flowering suffers if the weather conditions are too harsh in winter. The stormy east winds also cause problems for the plants. A sheltered location, on the other hand, ensures lasting flowering. The slow-growing shrubs need two to three years to get used to their new location and to take root well. After that, the plant drives out vigorously and no longer tolerates transplanting well. It is therefore better to 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 considered. The less competitive plants prefer to stand on their own. They are therefore wonderfully suited 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 shades of foliage look especially beautiful. If you want to socialize your witch hazel despite a weak root system, you will find the right planting partner and other tips for a successful one here plantation of witch hazel.

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

Witch hazel: planting time and procedure for 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 bit easier than handling bare-root shrubs. With the following instructions, however, even the bare-root specimens will not cause you any problems. The first two points do not apply when planting container goods:

1. Soak 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 the size of the root ball
5. Enrich the excavated soil with compost and loosen it up well again
6. Place the plant straight in the planting hole
7. Only place the plant so deep that the surface of the pot ball can still be seen
8. Fill the planting hole with prepared soil
9. Cover root area with bark mulch
10. Do not work the soil after planting
11. Depending on the size of the root ball, water with 1 to 3 large watering cans

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, permeable, fresh to slightly moist, very rich in humus
• Observe sufficient planting distance and competitive weakness of the root system
• Planting time: Autumn, with container plants also possible in spring

Properly prune witch hazel

Witch hazel does not need to be pruned at all. They usually form a beautiful and regular crown all by themselves. The plants can even die if they are severely cut back, because the slow-growing plants sprout very poorly from old wood. Her wound healing also leaves a lot to be desired. Minimal shape cuts can still be made. The plants also like to do without a branch for the vase. But there is not much more in it.

The right time to cut witch hazel

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

The procedure for cutting witch hazel

With witch hazel, you should really restrain yourself when pruning, because the plants will not necessarily thank you for the pruning. If you are already cutting back, please use particularly sharp and clean pruning shears. This minimizes poorly healing wounds. It is best to keep your hands off fully mature, thicker branches and limit yourself to young, thin shoots. The following applies to pruning a witch hazel:

• Crop as little as possible
• Avoid radical cut
• Lighten only slightly
• Remove dry twigs and branches

Keep in mind that even a well thought out pruning will result in a meager yield of flowers the following year. More information for the ideal Cut your witch hazel, you'll find here.

Caring for witch hazel properly

If you have taken everything important into account when planting, witch hazels are extremely undemanding winter bloomers. They only need to be watered if the drought persists. Make sure that neither waterlogging forms nor that the soil dries out completely. A layer of bark mulch covering the root area protects against drying out. This mulch layer is removed and replaced every year in the course of fertilization. The annual fertilization takes place in the 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 layer of the mixture about 2 – 3 cm thick in the root area
• Apply a new layer of mulch in the root area

In late summer or early autumn you should provide your witch hazel with a nutrient fertilizer again. Use a predominantly organic fertilizer like our Plantura Organic universal fertilizer. This sustainably promotes soil life and thus ensures the good soil quality that the witch hazel so urgently needs.

In addition, use Kalimagnesia (patent potash) so that the plant sheds all its leaves in good time before flowering. So you have an undisturbed view of the flowers. This is particularly necessary for varieties such as 'Sunburst' and 'Brevipetala', some of which only shed their leaves in spring. If your witch hazel feels neglected, it will show you this with stunted growth and meager to non-existent flowering. A lack of flowering can have the following reasons:

• dryness
• pruning
• frost

Heavy frost can postpone flowering several weeks into February. In young witch hazels, the crown can be covered with fleece to protect against severe frost in winter. How to protect the flowers. The shoots are extremely hardy and do not need protection.

The witch hazel is a fairly undemanding garden dweller that does not require much care. More tips for a low-maintenance garden design you'll find here.