NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – You may be familiar with its name from the bottle of astringent found in your home medicine cabinet or for sale on pharmacy shelves near rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. What you may not know is that the leaves, bark and twigs from American witch hazel, a small native tree, are used in the manufacture of this product.
Historically, witch hazel was used by Native Americans and, later, colonists for a variety of medicinal treatments.
To a gardener, witch hazel is something else entirely. Depending on the variety, it might be the very first plant to bloom in your garden in the spring or provide the very last flowers in the fall. There are four species of witch hazel.
photo by Deborah J. Benoit
America witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is native to the eastern United States, ranging northward to Nova Scotia in Canada and south to Florida, and to the west from the Great Lakes south to Texas. Also called common witch hazel, it is a deciduous small tree or shrub, generally six- to 15-feet in height though sometimes as tall as 20 feet. Its leaves turn yellow in autumn with fragrant yellow flowers blooming after its leaves fall.
Witch hazel’s seeds mature the following fall and take a year after that to germinate. American witch hazel is hardy in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Plant Hardiness Zones 3 to 8.
Ozark witch hazel (Hamamelis vernalis), also called vernal witch hazel, is native to the southern and central United States. Unlike American witch hazel, Ozark witch hazel blooms in late winter or early spring.
Its fragrant, spidery yellow flowers can be seen January to April before its foliage unfurls. Its seeds mature in early fall and require cold stratification over the winter, before germinating in the spring. This small tree or shrub grows 6 to 10 feet high and is hardy in USDA Zones 4 to 8.
photo by Deborah J. Benoit
Japanese witch hazel (Hamamelis japonica) is native to Japan and blooms in the spring for up to four weeks. It grows 10 to 15 feet high with mildly fragrant yellow flowers. Its foliage turns yellow, red or purple in the fall. It’s hardy in USDA Zones 5 to 8.
Chinese witch hazel (Hamamelis mollis) is native to China and is also hardy in USDA Zones 5 to 8. It grows 10 to 20 feet high. Its fragrant yellow flowers appear January to March.
In addition to the four species of witch hazel, there are numerous spring-blooming hybrid varieties (Hamamelis x intermedia) available that are crosses between Japanese witch hazel and Chinese witch hazel. Hardiness varies, so be sure to check the hardiness zone for the cultivar you are interested in.
Whatever type of witch hazel choosen, expect a show of bright yellow (or orange or red) clusters of four-petaled, spidery flowers to brighten the garden when there is little other color. For spring-blooming varieties, leaves will unfurl after the flowers have faded.
Plant witch hazel in light, richly organic, well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. As with any new plant, be sure it’s adequately watered until it’s established.
Overall, witch hazel is easy to grow and low maintenance. It can serve as a focal point in a garden or as a stand-alone feature.
If there is a spring-blooming witch hazel in the garden, pruning a few small branches in February, bringing them indoors, and forcing them to bloom can provide an early preview of spring. Find information about forcing branches at go.uvm.edu/forcing-branches.
Deborah J. Benoit is a UVM Extension Master Gardener from North Adams, Mass., who is part of the Bennington County Chapter.
Deborah J. Benoit
