Hamamelis vernalis – Vernal Witchhazel

As far as I’m concerned, here is another genus of woody plants that seem to get over looked in the landscape – witchhazel.  As a group, these larger growing multi-stem shrubs (or small trees in some cases – vernalis usually stays in the 6-10 feet range) are extremely durable, have no serious pest or disease issues, have excellent fall color (yellow), sun or shade, adapts to many soil conditions including moist, and are used as specimen, hedging (unpruned), mass plantings, screening, and work well in large planter boxes and containers.  I have one espaliered on a fence.  You’ll also find these now available grafted into a patio tree.  And did I mention that Vernal Witchhazel is flowering right now?  Yep, starts sometime in January and flowers thru February and into March (depending on the weather).  The flowers can range from yellow to red (many are red centers with yellow petals), and interestingly enough, the petals roll up and close on extremely cold days, which helps extend the flowering season.   One drawback to this plant...it may hold the old leaves from last year, which can hide some of the flowers.