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Vernal Witch Hazel

Hamamelis vernalis

Regular price $10996
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Fast, Safe Plant Delivery
Ships in 3-4 business days • Tracking provided • Weather protected

Under $50 $9.99
$50 - $99.99 $14.99
$100 - $149.99 $16.99
$150 - $198.99 $24.99
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Plant Profile & Growing Essentials

Cold hardy, Native, Fall Color/Interest, Flowering, Fragrant, Deer-resistant, Drought resistant, and Hedge/Screen

Specifications

  • Botanical Name
    Hamamelis vernalis
  • Height
    10 ft
  • Width
    10 ft
  • Growing Zones
    4-8
  • Sunlight
    • Full sun
    • Partial shade
  • Growth Rate
    Moderate
  • Flower Color
    • Yellow
  • Leaf Color
    • Green
    • Yellow
  • Fall Color
    Yellow
  • Pollinator Friendly
    Yes
  • Pollinator Required
    No
  • Bloom Period
    Early Spring
  • Fragrant
    Yes
  • Does Not Ship To
    AK, HI, ID, MT, OR

Planting & Care Instructions

Where to Plant

  • Sunlight: Aim for at least six hours of direct sun daily for the most abundant, earliest flowers and the best fall foliage color. While Vernal Witch Hazel tolerates partial shade, remember that deeper shade will lead to sparser blooming and less intense color in the autumn leaves.
  • Soil: This shrub prefers rich, slightly acidic, well-drained loamy soil, which is the perfect mix of moisture retention and drainage. If you have heavy clay, amend the area generously with compost and a little pine bark to loosen it up; if your soil is sandy, the extra organic matter will help it hold vital moisture.

Watering Requirements

For the first year, keep the root zone consistently moist but never soggy, which means a deep drink once or twice a week depending on the weather. Once established, this plant is quite drought tolerant, but it is not happy when stressed; inconsistent watering during summer dry spells can cause the leaves to scorch and the overall plant to look tired, resulting in less robust growth.

Pruning Tips

Vernal Witch Hazel is a special shrub because it blooms on old wood, meaning the buds for next year's flowers are set on the previous season’s growth. The best time to prune is immediately after the flowers fade in late winter or early spring, before the new leaf buds fully swell. You will primarily be removing suckers from the base, dead or damaged wood, and generally shaping the plant, which is crucial for maintaining its attractive structure and ensuring you don't accidentally cut off next year's bloom potential.

Fertilizer Needs

Apply a general-purpose, slow-release granular fertilizer, like a balanced 10-10-10 formula, just as the new growth begins in early spring. One important tip: avoid high-nitrogen fertilizer after mid-summer. Doing so will push soft new growth that doesn't have time to harden off properly before the first frost, making those tender tips prone to winter die-back.


Flowers in the snowy months? The winter-blooming Vernal Witchhazel (Hamamelis vernalis) is an unusual shrub that does just that! Also called the Ozark Witch Hazel, it kicks things off with its curious little yellow, peach, to brick-red flowers! The first blooms of the year on any native plant in most of the eastern U.S. are a boon to very early emerging pollinators and beneficial insects looking for nectar!

A must-have for the pollinator garden and the herbalist's Kitchen or Medicinal Garden, beneficial Witch Hazel shrubs offer something for all! You've never seen anything like them! On mild days the January to February to March flowering time can even give off a gentle, spicy-sweet scent!

The new foliage is an attractive bronzy-red color that matures to dark green for the entire growing season. It turns a rich buttery yellow to golden yellow in the fall. These unique blooms attract many songbirds to feast on the maturing fall seeds. The stems and bark have been used for centuries as a topical beauty and medicinal preparation!

Planting and Application:

Dense and bushy, Witch-Hazel can be used effectively as a naturalized thicket due to its slow suckering. Easily creating bird-friendly hedgerows, privacy screening, and property definition. They seem to glow in the landscape, with absolutely stunning bright fall colors on the lovely leaves.

Witchhazel shrubs can tolerate low, wet spots in the landscape so are perfect in the Rain Garden or adorning your home's foundation where the gutters drain. They are magnificent along a stream, or plant them in mass to prevent erosion along creekbanks or stabilize a pond's banks!

It can be grown as a large shrub or trained into a small multi-stemmed tree form by removing the lowest limbs to raise the canopy. Tree-form Hazels make wonderful specimen plants. If you have a shady side yard, try one on your front yard berm as an interesting focal point with year-round interest!

  • Pom Pom-Like Very Early Flowers
  • Suckering Shrub or Tree Form With Training
  • Bronzy-Red New Growth & Fantastic Fall Color
  • Boon For Pollinators & Songbirds
  • Hedges, Screening, Specimens & Wetland Plants

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Witchhazel does fine in full sun, but really does best in full shade or partial shade - especially in hotter growing zones of 5 to 8. Any moist well-drained soil works and these wetland shrubs can tolerate clay soil too! Give these deciduous shrubby trees a moderate amount of water regularly as they enjoy even moisture, and do not dry out. Drier sites appreciate a 3-4 inch deep layer of mulch over the root system. Prune in the early spring after the flowers are

  • Full Sun & Shade
  • Well-Drained Soil
  • Moderately Moist Soils & Tolerates Clay
  • Prune After Flowering
  • Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer

Whimsical winter blossoms that delight you and your wildlife, the fabulous native Vernal Witchhazel bush adds year-round appeal to your garden! Order yours today at NatureHills.com!

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