Chinese witch hazel

Chinese witch hazel: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Large, broadly vase-shaped shrub 3–4 m tall and wide; slow-growing.

Leaves

Rounded to broadly oval, 8–15 cm, softly hairy and hazel-like; yellow in autumn.

Flower

Four narrow, crimped petals of 1.5–2 cm per flower, in clusters along the bare branches, from January to March.

Colour

Golden yellow with a red-brown centre.

Scent

Strong, sweet and spicy, especially on mild, sunny days.

Fruit

Woody capsules that split open in autumn and shoot the seeds several metres away.

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

Why grow it?

• Flowers in the middle of winter, when almost nothing else does.
• One of the most strongly scented winter shrubs.
• Lovely yellow autumn colour.
• Early food for bees on mild winter days.
• The flowers are frost-proof: in cold weather the ribbons curl up and in milder weather they open again.

Chinese witch hazel: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade; it flowers best in sun.
• Humus-rich, lime-free soil: sand, loam or peat, acid to neutral.
• Evenly moist but well-drained: it dislikes summer drought as well as wet feet.
• Give it room: allow 3–4 m. Plant it where you can see it from the house.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or peat

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal

Size

4 m tall, 4 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Snowdrop: Flowers at the same time at the foot of the shrub.
• Winter aconite: A carpet of little yellow buttercups beneath it in February.
• Lenten rose: Large evergreen leaves and flowers at the same time.
• Red-barked dogwood: Red stems in winter next to the yellow flowers.
• Winter heath: Low pink or white flowers in winter.

Chinese witch hazel: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–November.

1. Plant in March–April or in October–November.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix in leaf mould or ericaceous compost.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot; on a grafted plant, keep the graft union above the soil.
4. Firm the soil and water in well.
5. Mulch with leaf mould or wood chips and keep the soil moist during the first year.

Care

Watering

Regularly in dry weather for the first two years; after that in long, dry summers. Too dry in summer means fewer flowers.

Feeding

A layer of leaf mould in spring; nothing more is needed.

Mulching

A yearly layer of leaf mould keeps the soil cool, moist and lime-free.

Suckers

Remove shoots from the rootstock below the graft union: they grow more strongly and crowd out the witch hazel.

Moving

Best avoided: it sulks for years afterwards. Choose its final position straight away.

Tip: Plant it against a dark background, such as a yew hedge or an evergreen shrub: the yellow flowers then light up and you can see them from the house.

Chinese witch hazel: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March–April.

When: Hardly ever needed. If necessary, straight after flowering, in March–April.

How:

• Only remove dead, damaged or crossing branches, cutting back to a side branch.
• Remove suckers from the rootstock, as low down as possible.
• Never prune hard: it regrows poorly from old wood and then flowers less for years.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Layering

In spring, lightly wound a low branch, peg it into the soil and cover it; sever it after 1–2 years. The easiest method for gardeners.

Seed

Slow: sow fresh seed outdoors in autumn; it often only germinates after two winters, and seedlings take years to flower.

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

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Very hardy, down to about −25 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• The flowers are frost-proof: the ribbons curl up and open again in milder weather.
• Young plants in a pot: wrap the pot in hessian so the roots do not freeze.

Diseases and pests

• Suckers: Vigorous shoots from below the graft union, with different leaves. Cut or pull them off as low as possible.
• Few flowers: A young plant, too much shade or summer drought. Be patient, choose a sunnier spot and water in dry summers.
• Leaf scorch: Brown, dry leaf edges in hot, dry summers. Water and mulch.
• Stalled growth: After being moved it barely grows for years. Plant it in its final position from the start.

Through the year

• January: In flower. Enjoy the scent on mild days.
• February: Full flower.
• March: Last flowers. Plant. Prune lightly after flowering if needed.
• April: Plant. Add leaf mould. Layer branches.
• July: Water in dry weather: the flower buds are forming.
• August: Water in dry weather. Remove suckers.
• October: Yellow autumn colour. Plant.
• November: Plant. Mulch.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• In frost the narrow petals roll up, and in milder weather they unroll again: that is how the flowers stay attractive for weeks.
• The ripe capsules split open in autumn and shoot their seeds several metres away.
• Together with Japanese witch hazel, it is a parent of Hamamelis × intermedia, to which most garden-centre cultivars belong.