Out in the Garden

While enjoying the extended daylight in the afternoon as I leave the Garden, I pause to admire how the sun lights up the vibrant flowers of witch hazels in the Pollinator Garden. These specimens display beautiful shades of foliage from spring through fall, but they truly shine in winter months.

Witch hazels (genus Hamamelis) offer impressive bloom time coverage, spanning from October to March. The species native to eastern North America, Hamamelis virginiana, has delicate, sweetly-scented yellow flowers that bloom through fall, but this species holds on to dead leaves that can obscure the flowers. The Pollinator Garden features cultivars that retain the showy qualities of their parent species from Japan and China, blooming vividly on bare stems and warming winter days with citrusy fragrance. ‘Diane’ has deep red flowers and ‘Jelena’ has flowers that gradate from red to orange; both are cultivars of the hybrid Hamamelis x intermedia.

The common name of this genus contains more than meets the eye. Witch hazels are not closely related to true hazels (Corylus), though the genera have superficial similarities. Furthermore, the “witch” in this name is derived from the Old English word wice meaning “pliant” in reference to the bendable branches. This meaning of the word went on to be used in “water witching,” a kind of dowsing that has been practiced using flexible branches such as those of the witch hazel.

Along with their beauty and use in dowsing, witch hazels have been cherished for many generations across their native ranges for medicinal uses such as soothing inflammation or relieving minor skin irritation. The genus is also attractive to wildlife, providing pollinators with sustenance during a barren time of year and feeding small animals with its fruit and seeds. Adaptable and providing year-round interest, witch hazels are a great addition to many kinds of gardens, especially if given sun and well-drained soil.

Image: Sam Mularz