For early blooms, color and fragrance, you can't beat witchhazel

Today’s post is a wonderful guest piece on that earliest of spring bloomers — witch hazel — from Dave Epstein, host of Growing Wisdom.com [www.growingwisdom.com]:

In the dead of winter there is not much growing in the garden. However, there is one plant that will reliably bloom for you each and every February. That’s right, February.

Hamamelis or its common name, witch hazel, is my favorite late winter/early spring bloomer. The fall variety of this shrub is native to New England and blooms in October. However the crosses of the Japanese and Chinese Hamamelis bloom from February to April and in a mild year have even been known to bloom even in January. 

Witch hazel are considered a small tree or shrub and are relatively easy to grow. They will adapt to most soil conditions but prefer a slightly acidic PH.  You will want to be sure that your plant gets several hours of sun, is not in an open area subjected to harsh winds, and is not overly wet. A lot of folks may not be comfortable with plants they do not know. However, adding one or two Hamamelis varieties to you garden will bring you years of enjoyment, at a time of the year that can be pretty bleak.   When considering where to place this plant outside you need to head inside. Once indoors look out your windows from a spot you spend a lot of time. I have planted my three varieties outside the kitchen and den. Perhaps you will want yours outside the home office window, the living room or dining area.  It’s a great feeling to make lunch on a sunny February afternoon and see these flowers bursting open. The flowers come in yellow, red and even orange. You will find that the buds open up during those sunny days in late winter when the temperature gets above freezing. At night, the flowers will curl back up. This process continues for weeks and can last into April about when the forsythia is in bloom.

When choosing Hamamelis there are so many varieties of this plant that it would be impossible to pick a favorite. However, here are few to seek out this year when at your favorite nursery. ‘Arnolds Promise’ was developed at the Arnold Arboretum and is still considered one of the best. Its brilliant yellow and opens in early March.  ‘Moonlight’s’ flowers are pale sulfur yellow with claret red. This variety is also a very early flowerer in February and has a strong sweet fragrance.   You will even notice bees on some of these plants on a warm day in spite of several inches of snow left on the ground. I have ‘Diane’ in my garden and the flowers are a coppery red. The leaves sometimes hold on through the winter and can hide the flowers. You might also try ‘Orange Beauty’. The flowers of this variety border on a deep yellow or orange yellow however; there is not much of a scent.

During the summer the plants will blend into the background of the garden. The leaves are a fan shape but there is nothing particularly remarkable about them. In the fall many of the varieties turn spectacular colors. Two other great properties of this shrub are that it has few pest and disease problems and needs little if any pruning. After 10 years or so it will be about 15’-20’ in height so plan accordingly. Click here to watch a video about Witchhazel. 

Dave Epstein

Host/GrowingWisdom.com