Japanese witch hazel

Japanese witch hazel: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Large, open, broad shrub of about 3 m tall and wide, with ascending, spreading branches; slow-growing.

Leaves

Broadly oval to rounded, 5–10 cm, with a wavy, toothed edge, alternate; similar to hazel leaves. Yellow, orange to red in autumn.

Flower

Small clusters on the bare twigs from January to March. Four narrow, crinkled petals of 1–2 cm with a reddish calyx.

Scent

Light and fresh; best noticed on a mild, sunny winter’s day or in a warm room.

Fruit

Small woody capsules that split open in autumn and shoot out two black seeds.

Roots

Fairly shallow and finely branched; it resents being moved.

Flowering: January–March · Plants: March–April and October–November · Pruning: March–April

Why grow it?

• Flowers in midwinter, when hardly anything else is in bloom.
• An early source of food for bees on mild winter days.
• Superb autumn colour in yellow, orange and red: two seasons of interest.
• Flowering sprigs look lovely in a vase and their scent is easier to notice indoors.
• A fine specimen shrub: a single plant is enough to lift the winter garden.
• Low maintenance: it needs hardly any pruning.

Japanese witch hazel: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; it flowers best in sun, as long as the soil does not dry out.
• Humus-rich, moisture-retentive sandy, loamy or peaty soil, acid to neutral; chalky soil causes yellow leaves.
• Normal moisture: neither dry nor waterlogged. Heavy, wet clay does not suit it.
• A sheltered spot in front of a dark backdrop, such as an evergreen hedge, shows off the yellow flowers best.
• Allow 3 m of space: it grows slowly but becomes wide.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or peat

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal

Size

3 m tall, 3 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Snowdrop: White carpets under the shrub, in flower in the same weeks.
• Hellebore: Also flowers in winter and likes the same humus-rich soil.
• Winter aconite: Yellow on yellow: little cups at the base.
• Red-barked dogwood: Its bright red twigs add colour next to the yellow flowers.
• Barrenwort: A tough ground cover in partial shade under the shrub.

Japanese witch hazel: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–November.

1. Plant in March–April or October–November, when the soil is neither frozen nor too wet.
2. Choose the final position straight away: witch hazel resents being moved.
3. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix in leaf mould.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot; on a grafted plant, keep the graft union above the soil.
5. Keep about 3 m away from other shrubs and paths.
6. Water in thoroughly and spread a mulch of leaf mould or bark around the base.

Care

Water

Water weekly in dry spells for the first two years. Later on, water in dry summers too: summer drought costs flower buds.

Feeding

In March–April a thin layer of compost or a little organic fertiliser; nothing more is needed.

Mulching

Leaf mould or bark keeps the roots cool and moist and the soil slightly acid.

Suckers

Many witch hazels are grafted. Cut out shoots with different leaves that come from below the graft or from the ground straight away, at the base.

Containers

Young plants can grow for a few years in a large pot of ericaceous compost; water regularly.

Tip: Plant it where you can see it from the window, ideally with the low winter sun behind it: the small yellow flowers then light up. A dark evergreen backdrop has the same effect.

Japanese witch hazel: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March–April.

When: Witch hazel needs hardly any pruning. If it is necessary, prune lightly straight after flowering, in late March or April.

How:

• Remove dead, diseased or crossing branches back to healthy wood.
• Shorten an overlong branch to just above a side shoot or bud; this keeps the natural shape.
• Remove rootstock suckers as low down as possible.
• Cut sprigs for the vase in winter, spread over the whole shrub.

Caution: Never prune hard or in autumn: it is slow to reshoot from old wood and you would remove the flower buds.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Layering

In spring, lightly nick a low branch, peg it into the ground and cover it with soil. After one to two years it has rooted and can be severed.

Seed

Seed needs patience: it often germinates only after two winters. Cultivars do not come true from seed.

Japanese witch hazel: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −25 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• The flowers tolerate frost: in severe cold the petals curl up and they unfurl again when it thaws.
• In a pot: stand it against a sheltered wall and wrap the pot in hessian so the roots do not freeze.

Diseases and pests

• Poor flowering: Young plants sometimes flower sparsely. Summer drought or too much shade also cost flowers: water in dry weather and choose a light spot.
• Rootstock suckers: Shoots with different, often larger leaves from the base come from the rootstock. Cut them out at once, or they will crowd out the cultivar.
• Yellow leaves: Yellow leaves with green veins point to soil that is too chalky. Add leaf mould or ericaceous compost and water with rainwater.
• Leaf scorch: Brown, dry leaf edges in summer, caused by drought or hot sun. Water and mulch.

Through the year

• January: Flowering: small crinkled yellow flowers on the bare twigs. Cut sprigs for the vase.
• February: Full flower. On mild days bees visit the flowers.
• March: End of flowering. Plant. Prune lightly straight after flowering.
• April: Plant. Prune lightly, remove suckers. Give compost and layer.
• May: Mulch. Water in dry weather.
• July: Water in dry weather so that plenty of flower buds form.
• August: Water in dry weather.
• October: Plant. Autumn colour in yellow, orange and red.
• November: Plant. Leaf mould around the base.
• December: Flower buds swell. Protect pots from hard frost.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• In autumn the capsules split open suddenly and shoot the black seeds several metres away.
• In frost the narrow petals curl up for protection and unfurl again when the weather turns milder. This way a single flower lasts for weeks.
• The well-known hybrid Hamamelis × intermedia is a cross between this Japanese witch hazel and Chinese witch hazel (Hamamelis mollis).