American witch hazel

American witch hazel: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Vase-shaped, often multi-stemmed shrub or small tree about 4 m tall and as wide; slow-growing.

Leaves

Broadly oval, 8–15 cm, with a wavy, toothed edge and a lopsided base; butter yellow in autumn.

Flower

Small clusters of yellow flowers with four crinkled, ribbon-like petals 1–2 cm long, in October–November.

Scent

Light, fresh and slightly spicy; best noticed on mild, still days.

Fruit

Woody capsules that ripen only a year after flowering and then shoot out their black seeds.

Roots

Fine and fairly shallow; it moves badly once established.

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

Why grow it?

• One of the last shrubs of the year to flower: scented yellow flowers in October and November.
• Superb butter-yellow autumn colour that, together with the flowers, lights up the shrub.
• On mild autumn days bees and flies still visit the flowers, when almost nothing else is in bloom.
• Fully hardy and little work: no pruning needed.
• A handsome specimen shrub with an open, vase-shaped habit and a graceful winter outline.

American witch hazel: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; in full sun the soil must stay moist.
• Humus-rich, moisture-retentive sandy, loamy or peaty soil, acid to neutral.
• Moist but not wet: it should not dry out in summer nor sit in waterlogged soil.
• Allow 3–4 m of space, as a specimen in the lawn or at the back of a border.
• Plant it where you often pass in autumn, ideally against a dark background.

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 -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Michaelmas daisy: Flowers at the same time, with purple and blue flowers at the foot of the shrub.
• Snowdrop: A white carpet under the bare shrub in February.
• Winter aconite: Little yellow flowers in late winter, beneath the bare branches.
• Red-barked dogwood: Red stems that add colour after leaf fall.
• Ferns: Cool greenery at the foot of the shrub in summer.

American witch hazel: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–November.

1. Plant in March–April or in October–November, when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix in leaf mould or compost.
3. Set the shrub at the same depth as in its pot and firm the soil well.
4. Keep 3–4 m away from other shrubs, trees or buildings.
5. Water well straight away, even if it is raining.
6. Spread a mulch of leaf mould or wood chips around the base, keeping it off the stems.

Care

Watering

For the first two years, water in dry spells. After that, only during long droughts.

Feeding

A layer of compost under the shrub in spring is enough.

Mulching

Leave the fallen leaves under the shrub or add leaf mould: this keeps the soil cool and moist.

Moving

Avoid it: choose a spot from the start where it can reach its full size.

Underplanting

Early bulbs and shade plants get on well with its fine roots, as long as you do not dig deeply.

Tip: Plant it against a dark background, such as a yew hedge or evergreen shrubs: the small yellow flowers will stand out far better in October–November.

American witch hazel: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed: it naturally grows into a fine shape. If something really must go, do it in winter, when the shrub is bare.

How:

• Remove dead, damaged or crossing branches back to a healthy side branch.
• Never shorten all the branches: it would lose its open, vase-shaped outline.
• In October–November you can cut a few flowering sprigs for a vase.

Caution: It recovers poorly from hard pruning: it grows slowly and loses its natural shape.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow ripe seed in autumn in a pot outdoors. Germination is slow, often taking eighteen months to two years, because the seed needs a warm and then a cold period.

Layering

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

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

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Very hardy, to about −30 °C: no protection needed in Belgium.
• The flowers tolerate frost: in the cold the ribbons curl up and they unfurl again when it thaws.
• Young plants benefit from a layer of leaf mould around the base.

Diseases and pests

• Hidden flowers: The flowers are hard to see among the yellow leaves. That is normal: after leaf fall they show up better. A dark background helps.
• Yellow leaves in summer: Pale yellow leaves with green veins point to soil that is too chalky or too wet. Mulch with leaf mould and water with rainwater.
• Brown leaf edges: A sign of drought, especially in sunny summers. Water generously at the base and mulch the soil.
• Few flowers: Young plants flower only sparsely. Give them a few years and do not prune them.

Through the year

• March: Planting. Compost under the shrub.
• April: Planting. Mulch. Layering.
• June: Water in dry spells, especially young plants.
• July: Water in dry spells.
• September: The leaves begin to colour.
• October: Flowers and yellow autumn colour. Last year’s ripe capsules burst open. Planting.
• November: Last flowers. Leaf fall. Planting. Sow ripe seed.
• December: Rest. Remove any dead branches.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The fruits ripen only a year after flowering. When they burst open, they shoot the seeds several metres away, often while the shrub is in flower again.
• Witch hazel water is made by steam-distilling the twigs and bark of this species. It is widely used in cosmetics.
• The ‘witch’ in witch hazel comes from an old word meaning ‘pliant’. The flexible branches were once used as divining rods.