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Witch Hazel
A large native shrub famous on two fronts: it blooms in late fall with fragrant, spidery yellow flowers when almost nothing else does, and it is the source of the familiar witch hazel astringent - plus golden fall color and explosively launched seeds.
Safety notes Witch hazel is grown as an ornamental for its fragrant late-fall flowers - and it is the source of the familiar drugstore astringent. Extracts of its bark, twigs, and leaves are the traditional witch hazel astringent, used TOPICALLY on skin; the raw leaves and bark are tannin-rich and are not meant to be eaten in quantity. Grow it for its flowers and fall color, use commercial witch hazel externally as directed, and do not consume the raw plant.
Overview
Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is a remarkable native shrub with a signature trick: it blooms in mid-to-late fall, and into early winter, unfurling clusters of fragrant flowers with narrow, crinkled, ribbon-like yellow petals just as the leaves drop and almost nothing else is in flower. The petals curl up in hard freezes and reopen in mild spells, so the fragrant display lasts for weeks - a rare gift of bloom at the edge of winter, pollinated by late-flying moths.
Quick facts
- Sprouts in
- 300 daysRange: 60–720 days
- Soil temperature
- 68 °FRange: 60–75 °F
- Height
- 15 ftRange: 10–20 ft
- Spread
- 12 ftRange: 8–15 ft
- Cold
- Takes hard frostdamaged below -30°F
- Heat
- Struggles above 90°F
- Life cycle
- Perennial, lives about 40 years
- Save seeds
- About 365 days after plantingRange: 330–400 days
- Self-sows
- Yes, expect volunteers
- Soil
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Medium
- Plant spacing
- 10 ftRange: 6–15 ft
When to plant
Fall sowing is open for 19 more days. Next: spring, Mar 27 to May 29.
- Direct sow Oct 11 – Nov 8 Open now · 19 days leftAbout 2 weeks before to 2 weeks after your first frost (Oct 25 here)Witch hazel seed has a deep double dormancy and can take up to two years to germinate, so cuttings, layering, or nursery transplants (named cultivars are grafted) are far more practical.
- Transplant Mar 27 – May 29 Opens in 158 daysAbout 2 weeks before to 7 weeks after your last frost (Apr 10 here)Plant container witch hazel in spring into moist, humusy, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade (it tolerates shade but flowers best with more sun); site it where the late-fall flowers can be enjoyed.
- Transplant Aug 2 – Sep 27 Opens in 286 daysAbout 12 weeks before to 4 weeks before your first frost (Oct 25 here)Fall planting works well in cooler zones; keep the soil moist and mulch the roots until dormancy (avoid disturbing it during its fall bloom).
Frost here: last around Apr 10 (Mar 27 to Apr 24 most years), first around Oct 25. Zone averages, your own yard may run a week or two either way.
Life stages
Establish, grow, repeat
Getting established and returning each season are different parts of the story.
Stage 1 of 4 · Getting established
Years 1-2 - rooting in
The first year after planting
Care at this stage
-
Keep evenly moist while establishing
Witch hazel is a woodland understory shrub that likes moist, humusy, well-drained soil - keep a new plant evenly watered through its first two years and do not let it dry out. It establishes at a measured pace, so be patient and keep it moist.
-
Mulch and site it where you can enjoy fall bloom
Mulch the root zone to conserve moisture. Because witch hazel blooms in late fall (when little else does), site it where you will see and smell the fragrant flowers - near a path, door, or window - against an evergreen or dark background that shows off the yellow blooms.
Months are typical seasonal windows; climate, variety, and plant age can shift them.
Watch out for
3 to know. None are high-risk for Witch Hazel. None are active in October.
Rootstock Suckers (Grafted Plants)Severity Medium DisorderSeason: Apr–JulVigorous shoots arising from below the graft union or from the base, often with plainer leaves or different flowers than the cultivar.
Vigorous shoots arising from below the graft union or from the base, often with plainer leaves or different flowers than the cultivar.
Cut out all suckers and shoots originating below the graft union as soon as they appear; repeat as needed to keep the grafted top dominant.
Buy own-root plants where possible; on grafted plants, inspect the base regularly and remove below-graft suckers promptly while small.
Many showy witch hazel cultivars are grafted onto common witch hazel (H. virginiana) rootstock, which can send up vigorous suckers that overtake and replace the desirable grafted top if not removed - a common way to 'lose' a fancy cultivar.
Witch Hazel Gall AphidsSeverity Low PestSeason: May–JulSmall cone-shaped or spiny green-to-reddish galls sticking up from the leaf surface in late spring and summer.
Small cone-shaped or spiny green-to-reddish galls sticking up from the leaf surface in late spring and summer.
No treatment warranted; remove galled leaves only if desired for appearance. The plant is unaffected.
None needed - the galls are harmless; simply tolerate them as part of the plant's natural ecology.
Specialized aphids cause cone-shaped or spiny galls on witch hazel leaves as part of their life cycle (alternating with birch). The galls look odd but are essentially cosmetic and do not harm the plant's health.
Drought StressSeverity Low DisorderSeason: Jun–AugWilting on hot afternoons, browning and crisping along leaf edges and tips, premature leaf drop, collapsed flower stems, and thin, stunted growth - showing up first on young plants and on the driest, most exposed side of the planting.
Witch hazel is a moisture-loving woodland shrub. Young plants scorch first; a humusy, mulched site out of harsh exposure prevents it.
Wilting on hot afternoons, browning and crisping along leaf edges and tips, premature leaf drop, collapsed flower stems, and thin, stunted growth - showing up first on young plants and on the driest, most exposed side of the planting.
Water deeply and consistently, then mulch. Mild wilting reverses within a day or two, but a prolonged drought sets a plant back hard and can kill a young one outright. If a plant scorches every summer, the site is wrong - move it to damper ground rather than trying to water it through.
Match the site to the plant: put a moisture-loving species where the ground actually stays damp - a rain garden, pond edge, ditch, seep or low spot - rather than in an ordinary border you intend to keep watered. Mulch to hold moisture and keep the roots cool, water deeply through every dry spell while the plant is establishing, and avoid hot, windy, exposed positions.
Not a pest but a siting problem, and on a moisture-loving plant it is usually the thing that actually kills it. When the soil dries out, leaf edges brown and crisp, foliage wilts and drops early, flowering and fall color are cut short, and growth thins. Hot sun, wind and exposed positions make it worse by pulling water out faster than the roots can replace it. A plant that wants reliably moist or wet ground has no drought tolerance to fall back on, and young or recently planted ones have the least of all.
Good & bad neighbors
Plant nearby
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Evergreen christmas fern underplants witch hazel beautifully, sharing its moist, humusy, shaded conditions and providing an evergreen backdrop that shows off the yellow fall flowers.
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Two native part-shade shrubs with strong fall interest - witch hazel's late-fall flowers and golden color with oakleaf hydrangea's burgundy leaves and dried cones - extend the woodland-edge show into late season.
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Serviceberry's early flowers and June fruit with witch hazel's late-fall flowers layer a four-season native woodland-edge planting spanning spring bloom to late-fall flower and color.
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Both native understory shrubs for moist woodland edges, layering spicebush's early-spring yellow haze and witch hazel's late-fall yellow flowers to bookend the season with bloom.
Varieties · 4
You pick one when you add Witch Hazel to your garden. Its days to maturity set your harvest window.
Common Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
The wild species: a large, vase-shaped native shrub or small tree 10-20 feet tall with fragrant spidery yellow flowers in mid-to-late fall, golden fall color, and explosively dispersed seeds.
Variety details for Common Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
Large multi-stem vase-shaped shrub with broad leaves turning gold and clusters of crinkled ribbon-like yellow fall flowers.
speciesnativelate-fall-bloomfragrantVery cold-hardy, shade-tolerant, and the traditional source of witch hazel astringent; the standard for a native, off-season-blooming woodland shrub and for naturalizing.
Ozark Witch Hazel (Hamamelis vernalis)
A related native (H.
Variety details for Ozark Witch Hazel (Hamamelis vernalis)
Suckering shrub with small, very fragrant yellow-to-red-tinged flowers opening in late winter.
speciesnativewinter-bloomvery-fragrantvernalis) of the Ozarks that blooms in LATE WINTER (Jan-Mar) with small, intensely fragrant flowers in yellow to orange-red, on a suckering, thicket-forming shrub. Extends the witch hazel bloom season to the far end of winter and is prized for powerful fragrance; very cold-hardy.
Hybrid Witch Hazels (Hamamelis x intermedia - 'Arnold Promise', 'Jelena', 'Diane')
Spectacular winter-blooming hybrids (crosses of Asian species) that flower in late winter with large, showy, fragrant flowers in yellow ('Arnold Promise'), coppery-orange ('Jelena'), or red ('Diane'), often with excellent fall color.
Variety details for Hybrid Witch Hazels (Hamamelis x intermedia - 'Arnold Promise', 'Jelena', 'Diane')
Large shrubs smothered in late winter with big spidery flowers in gold, copper-orange, or red.
hybridwinter-bloomcolorful-flowersshowyThe showiest witch hazels, usually grafted onto H. virginiana rootstock - watch for rootstock suckers.
Improved H. virginiana Selections (e.g. 'Harvest Moon', 'Little Suzie')
Selected forms of the native species chosen for heavier or later flowering, cleaner leaf drop (so the flowers show better), stronger fragrance, or more compact size ('Little Suzie').
Variety details for Improved H. virginiana Selections (e.g. 'Harvest Moon', 'Little Suzie')
Native witch hazel selections with showier, less leaf-obscured fall flowers or a more compact habit.
cultivarnativebetter-bloomcleaner-leaf-dropGood choices when you want the native species with improved garden display or a smaller stature.
Grower tips
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