Ozark witch hazel

Ozark witch hazel: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Broad, multi-stemmed shrub, 2–3 m tall and about as wide, slowly forming suckers.

Leaves

Obovate, 6–12 cm, with a wavy, toothed edge; golden yellow in autumn. Dead leaves sometimes hang on the branches in winter.

Flowers

Flowers of 1–1.5 cm with four narrow, crinkled petals, yellow, orange or reddish, in small clusters along the bare branches, from January to March.

Scent

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

Fruit

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

Roots

Fairly shallow and branching, with suckers; older shrubs resent being moved.

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

Why grow it?

• Flowers in the depths of winter, from January to March, when almost nothing else is in bloom.
• A strong, spicy scent: a few sprigs in a vase fill a whole room.
• Tolerates more lime and wetter soil than other witch hazels.
• On mild winter days bees and bumblebees visit the flowers.
• Golden-yellow autumn colour as a second highlight.
• Fully hardy and rarely troubled by disease.

Ozark witch hazel: where does it grow best?

• Sun or part shade; it flowers best in sun.
• Almost any humus-rich soil: sand, loam, clay or peat, acid to chalky.
• Normally moist to moist: it tolerates wetter soil than other witch hazels but dislikes drying out.
• Plant it where you will see and smell it in winter: by a path, the front door or in front of a window.
• Allow 2–2.5 m: it grows as wide as it is tall.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam, clay or peat

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

2.5 m tall, 2.5 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Snowdrop: Flowers at the same time, like a white carpet beneath the shrub.
• Winter aconite: Small yellow flowers at its feet in February.
• Lenten rose: Green leaves and flowers from February to April, in the same part shade.
• Winter heath: Pink or white winter flowers that also tolerate lime.
• Red-barked dogwood: Red stems in winter, lovely beside the small yellow flowers; it also likes moist soil.

Ozark 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 ground is not frozen.
2. Dig a generous hole and mix in a few spadefuls of compost or leaf mould.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot and firm the soil well.
4. Keep 2–2.5 m away from other shrubs.
5. Water generously straight away and regularly in dry spells during the first year.
6. Mulch around the base with leaf mould or wood chips.

Care

Watering

Water generously in dry spells for the first two years; later only during long dry summers.

Feeding

A layer of compost or a little organic fertiliser in March; nothing more is needed.

Mulching

A layer of leaf mould in spring keeps the shallow roots cool and moist.

Suckers

Dig out unwanted suckers at the edge in spring.

Dead leaves

If dead leaves hang on in winter, pick them off carefully before flowering so the flowers show better.

Tip: Plant it by a path or in front of a window, where you will see and smell it in winter. Let it grow freely: it needs little pruning and naturally forms a fine, broad shrub.

Ozark witch hazel: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April.

When: Hardly needed. If necessary, prune after flowering, in April, before the leaves are fully out.

How:

• Remove dead, diseased and crossing branches.
• Cut overlong branches back to a side branch to keep the natural shape.
• Remove suckers that come up outside the clump.
• In winter you can safely cut a few flowering sprigs for a vase.

Caution: Never prune hard: it recovers slowly and you lose years of flowers. Do not prune in summer or autumn either, or you will cut off the flower buds.

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 with earth. It roots within one or two years, after which you can sever it.

Suckers

In March or October, dig up rooted suckers at the edge with a good root ball and replant them.

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

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −30 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• The flowers withstand frost: in severe cold the petals curl up, and on milder days they unfurl again.
• In a pot: choose a large pot, keep it sheltered and wrap it in hessian so the roots do not stay frozen for long.

Diseases and pests

• Few flowers: Young plants flower only sparsely for the first few years. In deep shade or after summer pruning, flowering also stays poor.
• Dead leaves: Dead leaves that hang on the branches hide the flowers. Pick them off before flowering.
• Drought stress: Brown leaf edges in a hot, dry summer. Water generously and mulch thickly.
• Honey fungus: The shrub suddenly dies back, there is a white fungal sheet under the bark and honey-coloured toadstools appear at the base in autumn. Remove the plant with as much of the roots as possible.

Through the year

• January: Strongly scented flowers. Cut sprigs for the vase.
• February: Full flower. Bees on mild days.
• March: Last flowers. Plant. Give compost.
• April: Light pruning after flowering if needed. Plant. Dig out suckers.
• May: Layer branches. Apply mulch.
• July: Water in dry spells. The flower buds are forming.
• August: Water in dry spells.
• October: Golden-yellow autumn colour. Plant. The capsules split open.
• November: Plant.
• December: The flower buds are ready for the winter display.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• Vernalis means ‘of spring’: it flowers in late winter, whereas its American relative Hamamelis virginiana flowers in autumn.
• The ripe capsules split open and shoot their seeds several metres away.
• In frost the narrow petals curl up and unfurl again on a milder day, so flowering can last for weeks.