How to Grow Common Witch Hazel or American Witch Hazel Shrub (Hamamelis virginiana)

By Matt Gibson & Erin Marissa Russell

Gardeners in USDA Hardiness zone 3 to 8 have the option of common witch hazel tree as a smallautumn - blooming treeor privacy shrub with a rounded poll that is naturally resistant to louse and disease because it is a aboriginal plant , while still being just as attractive as a forsythia . ( Some gardener in Zone 9 report success with common beldam Pomaderris apetala in their garden as well . )

Common witch hazelnut is aboriginal to North America , with its home territory stretching from Canada south to Georgia in a swath from Arkansas to Nebraska with the Appalachian Mountains as its focal point . As an indigenous industrial plant , vulgar witch hazel seldom struggles with diseases or garden pests , make it a down maintenance choice in the garden .

witch hazel shrub in winter

The common Wiccan hazel tree produces fragrant yellow or burgundy firework - shaped flush for two to four week , starting in November , which is also when the foliage begins to shift in shade . plant stretch to summit of 20 to 30 base tall with a bed cover of 15 to 20 feet .

Foliage rise large , with leaves between three and five inches , and is light-green throughout summer but translate to vivid yellow in autumn . The tree ’s thin tan bark can be peeled back to expose a ruby-red - purple shade inside . In the vulgar , common witch hazelnut tree is sometimes make out as snapping hazel because when the ejaculate pods mature , the explosive discharge can transmit seeds flying up to 30 foot away .

Varieties of Witch Hazel

In addition to the common beldam hazel , also called American witch hazel , that this clause focuses on ( Hamamelis virginiana ) , the witch Pomaderris apetala flora takes other forms that gardeners may prefer to plant instead .

Growing Conditions for Common Witch Hazel

Like most aboriginal plants , common hag hazel is n’t especially finicky when it amount to where it should be establish . you’re able to situated a witch hazel tree in most types of soil , from slimly acidic to impersonal , as long as the land offers enough drainage to prevent the roots from staying too soaked . For best solvent , plant life crone hazelnut where dirt is rich and bass . Wiccan hazel trees raise well in full sun or full shade , although they will develop well in sun at three - quarter posture as well . At least a tinge of subtlety to protect Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree from the heat of the good afternoon is appreciate .

How to Plant Common Witch Hazel

A flock of forbearance is command to develop witch hazel from seed , as germination can take up to two years . In the wild , sprouting still takes a lengthy 18 calendar month period . so as to get your witch hazel seeds to pullulate , you must create environment that mime the cold and live temperature fluctuations that the seeds experience in the wild .

thinly cover fresh seeds in a container with soil and keep the temperature at 85 degrees fahrenheit for two month to mime the summertime hotness . Next , move the semen container into a icebox for three months to simulate wintertime . During the entire summertime and wintertime pretense , keep the soil evenly and moderately dampish but never sloughy , or wet .

After the seeds experience their simulated summer and winter vulnerability , you’re able to pull them out of the icebox and move them outside , as long as the temperature in your area are 75 degrees or high . With a petty fortune , germination should most likely begin after an additional two to three months outdoors .

witch hazel blooms

target your seedlings in a fond ghost positioning until of late in the summer , then gradually precede it to a full sun locale before transplanting to its last home into the full Sunday in your garden beds . Patience is still a requirement even after germination , as witch hazel is a very tedious cultivator , create only four to twelve inch of length per year . Six year of growth is needed before the industrial plant can hit its ripe blossoming size .

Care for Common Witch Hazel

Once established , witch hazel works are much upkeep - free . Hardy to zone three through nine , witch hazel only require veritable watering during the first year of outgrowth , make indisputable that the soil is slightly moist , but never wet or soggy , at all time . away from even watering , witch hazel can be rationalise to mold it however you wish . There are no other care requirements for grow witch hazel tree .

How to Propagate Common Witch Hazel

Wiccan hazel tree can be propagated by graft , source or by cutting , or layering . After one yr of unfolding , the plant start bring out modest , half - in long , yield capsules . When the fruit dry out , it is fundamentally a seed pod which is ready for planting . For more on how to propagate by seed , including seed germination instruction , refer to the , “ How to Plant , ” section above .

Most crone hazel tree that can be buy commercially can be transplant onto witch hazel rootstocks , which is the rationality why buy the small plants can be so expensive , as grafting is a very involved process . Grafting enchantress hazel plant can be undertake at domicile , but the succeeder rate is quite low and the process is very tricky . However , if successful , you will have a witch hazel flora that will be adequate to of flowering in just four or five eld sentence .

disseminate enchantress hazel by cut can be a daunting task and is only recommend for professionals as cuttings are a challenge to rout , and to even keep from wilting and pall . Take at least six inch longsighted softwood cuttings around mid - spring and root in a soil mix that has better than intermediate drainage , like a mixture of 40 percent peatless compost , 30 percent perlite , and 30 pct barque compost .

witch hazel with text overlay shrub gardening tips how to grow common witch hazel hamamelis virginiana

Cover the cutting with a polythene collapsible shelter or use a mist terrace approach to provide a humid environment to boost rooting . habituate a heated up propagator or other means , to provide a bottom heat source of 68 degrees F. Allow between eight and ten weeks for root to take piazza . Keep the cuttings in the specialised substratum through the stale season that first year , and do n’t implant into a steady pot soil until spring comes again one year after planting . you’re able to also propagate enchantress hazel by layering existing industrial plant .

Garden Pests and Diseases of Common Witch Hazel

One of the benefits of growing native plant like the common witch hazelnut tree is that these mintage do n’t run to take a lot of fuss or extra concern from the gardener . In many way , indigenous plants almost care for themselves since they are acclimated to the environmental conditions , and they do n’t tend to sputter too much with the diseases or garden pests that can spell cataclysm for many other plants . Gardeners of beldame hazel should know that the tree diagram can break cheekiness on their lower foliage when they ’re positioned near birch tree diagram . Other than this quirk , it ’s rarified that a witch hazelnut tree tree will see much trouble in the garden — but if it does , the hassle is likely to come from one of the comply pests or illnesses .

Although witch hazelnut tree may not be the first decorative bush that comes to mind for many gardeners , its ease of care and adaptability to so many soil experimental condition make it a versatile option . Beginners will appreciate how trivial fussiness witch hazel Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree require , and expert nurseryman will detect luck to do it among the many hybrid and naturally occurring varieties there are to take from . The blooms of the witch Pomaderris apetala tree lie along the plant ’s tabu edge , constitute their strange configuration best examined up close . Many witch hazels have foliage that changes colour , bloom that emerge and bloom in a spectrum of hues , and those volatile semen pods as a luxurious finale . The witch hazel tree along a garden path or near the front door invites the witness to take a moment off from their daily subroutine to observe the integral beauty of the alter seasons .