![]() It prefers well-drained, loamy, acidic soil but it does tolerate clay soil. It prefers moderate moisture but will tolerate moderately dry conditions or high moisture sites. This native shrub performs well in partial shade and is tolerant of full sun or full shade but flowers best in full sun. The Albemarle County Recommended Native Plants list (see indicates that this native shrub is an excellent choice for rain gardens and swales as well as for bioretention basins (which are used to slow and treat storm water runoff). It is well suited to naturalized settings, such as along streams or at the edge of deciduous woods but it can also be incorporated into a mixed garden border provided there’s room for it. virginiana can grow quite large (15 to 20 feet or more tall and wide). As a result, the yellow blossoms tend to compete with the yellow foliage for attention. virginiana blooms in autumn at the same time the leaves are turning. Unlike the other four species of witch hazel, which bloom in the winter or early spring, H. Department of Agriculture plants database (see ). virginiana, is native to the entire eastern half of the United States and Canada, according to the U.S. He chose a combination of “hama” (at the same time) and “melon” (apple or fruit) for its name.Three native and two Asian species make up the Hamamelis genus: H. ![]() Linnaeus named this plant Hamamelis in 1753 when he observed leaves, flowers, and prior year’s fruit appearing all at once on a single native witch hazel. Periodic pruning may be required to remove the suckers but, other than this one issue, the plant requires very little maintenance. Be warned, however, that some witch hazels tend to sucker, which can be a problem if you want to control the overall size of the plant or if you’re growing a hybrid that is grafted onto native rootstock. With so much going for it, this is a plant that deserves greater attention and consideration for use in the ornamental landscape. Pests rarely bother this plant, deer and groundhogs generally leave it alone, and it is easy to grow. Each blossom consists of four ribbon-like petals which unfurl and flutter in the winter air on warm days but curl up tightly at night when temperatures drop. The blossoms appear in tight clusters along the branches. Although it is a slow growing plant, it is worth the wait when it bursts into bloom. Besides blooming in the dead of winter when the rest of the garden is asleep, witch hazel provides richly hued yellow, orange or red foliage in autumn, depending on the cultivar. Witch hazels are large multi-stemmed shrubs or small trees. A few come to mind, such as sweetbox, wintersweet, winter daphne, and winter jasmine, but witch hazel is perhaps the best known and appreciated in the winter landscape for its bright, cheerful, spidery-looking blossoms and sweet fragrance. Not many winter-blooming shrubs exist in the mid-Atlantic area. What IS that plant? That’s not an uncommon reaction the first time one encounters a witch hazel in the winter garden.
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