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The beldam hazel is an unusual deciduous shrub or small Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . Although not closely related to the true hazel tree , there are some superficial law of similarity , include the foliage shape . It clear a space in the garden because of its wintertime pursuit . The clump of flowers come along on the bare , characteristically zigzagging , grey arm from January to March , with the exception ofHamamelis virginiana , which bloom from September to November .
Depending on character , the Robert Frost - resistant flowers can be yellow , orange or red . They have minute , 1 cm to 2 centimetre long , spidery petal and a pleasant , somewhat spicy , sweet scent .
Witch hazels also have excellent autumn colour , and the plant brings ornament to the garden through all four seasons .
The genus name , Hamamelis , mean ‘ together with fruit ’ . This is a reference to the production of new flowers while the previous year ’s seed are still maturing on the flora . The fruit is a 1 centimetre prospicient shiny green capsule that contains two small , glossy - black seeds . These take some 8 to 10 months to mature , by which time the eccentric has turned brown and appear woody . At maturity date , the capsule split in half with a forte and sudden ‘ protrude ’ , ejecting the ejaculate for distances of up to 10 m from the parent plant .
The name ‘ witch ’ is opine to deduce from the Middle English ‘ wiche ’ , entail pliant , and the plant was also believe to have magical quality . The twigs were traditionally used as water divining rods .
The first witch hazel to observe a post in British garden was the AmericanHamamelis virginiana , but variety educe from the Chinese speciesHamamelis mollisare now more democratic , primarily due to its big and brighter sensationalistic wintertime blossom .
Witch Hazel Care
Witch hazel is an well-fixed shrub to give care for and it requires little sustentation once established . Container - develop plants can be planted out at any clip , though they will do comfortably if bought and institute out in the fall . To deoxidize the potential for suckering from the rootstock , ward off implant a container - grown shrub too deeply and never bury the graft union , which should be identifiable as a bulging piece of fore just above compost level .
While fully hardy once established , with an ability to flower on through ice and icing , young witch hazel bush can be damaged by hard frosts when first planted out , and they will benefit from protection with a few layer of fleece in the first couple of winters if hard winter or spring frost are anticipated .
A mulch withorganic matter such as garden compostin late winter or early fountain will provide further protection , keep down vie weeds , and help to retain soil wet .
Light requirement
Witch hazels do best in an undetermined , sunny stance , and they can become untidy and dishevelled in shade , although they will tolerate some light shade . In general , they blossom most abundantly in positions where they have full sun for most of the day .
Watering
enchantress hazel industrial plant benefit from being watered during teetotal periods throughout the year , in particular when they are untried and still establishing . efflorescence may be aborted or the peak dropped if the plant endure from a body of water deficit . Mulching in winter or early bound will help to conserve water at the most critical time .
Soil experimental condition
Witch hazels demand free - draining soils with good wet memory timber . They do better in lightheaded soil with plenty of added organic topic , such as well - waste manure or garden compost . They will handle in a heavy clay soil provide it has been better by grind in organic matter and horticultural grit .
An acidic to neutral soil between pH 4.5 and 6.5 is preferred , and witch hazel is unbelievable to endure calcareous , alkaline conditions .
Fertilisers
Witch hazels do not need much alimentation , but they may do good from a top bandaging of a general balanced fertiliser such as fish , rake and ivory in previous wintertime or former spring . This should be add to the soil before the yearly mulch .
Re - potting
While witch hazel bush will grow in declamatory containers , they will develop more tardily than those plant in open basis , and may only put on 15 cm or so per year . This may be the only method acting of growing them in gardens with calcareous soils .
Use an ericaceous potting compost such as John Innes ericaceous , and pot on to gradually larger pot as the shrub turn , with the aim of plant into a large , lasting container about 40 centimetre in depth and diam as a minimum . The batch needs in effect drain cakehole and a level of broken carbon black , and it should stand on pot foot to ensure that the drain hole are not impeded . The compost should never be allowed to dry out , and the flora will need to be well watered in warm weather to cool the roots around the edge of the potful .
Looks good with
Witch hazel append interest to any woodland garden , motley bush border , or it can be used as a hedging . However , to see it at its secure it should be part of a wintertime garden or border , where its architectural branching and wintertime bloom can be enjoy to the full . wintertime gardens traditionally include a seat adjacent to the witch hazels so that the scent of the flowers can be savor on a cheery winter ’s day .
The winter shrubbery can also includeSkimmia , Mahonia x media‘Winter Sun ’ , a crimson - bark dogwood like ‘ midwinter fire ’ , red - stemmed willows such asSalix alba vitellina ‘ Britzensis’,or a specimen wintersweet such asChimonanthus praecox‘Luteus ’ . Under - plant the shrubs with winter aconite , bluebell , Anemone quinquefolia , hellebore and other narcissus such as ‘ Cedric Morris ’ for added undercoat level colour and to extend the winter garden interest into early spring . Where there is room for a small Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , include a deciduous specimen with attractive winter barque texture and color , for example the mapleAcer griseumor a birch like ‘ Grayswood ghost ’ .
Pruning
Other than the occasional removal of any damage branches back to healthy Sir Henry Joseph Wood , witch hazel tree are comparatively sustainment free , and will not require even pruning .
Specimen shrub can sometimes be improve by the removal of congested , crossing or weak shoot , but this risks detracting from its characteristic winter architectural profile of zigzag stems .
Most nursery - supplied witch hazel are grafted onto a rootstock , so any suckers emerging at or below the soil line should be removed from the shrub in fall .
If a plant really has to be kept in check to avoid it out - growing its quad , the previous season ’s emergence can be thin back to two foliage buds just after it has flower in early spring to uphold its Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and size . The leaf buds are longer and narrow than the flower buds .
immature plants can be fan - trained by tie the strongest branches to horizontal wires secured to a supporting wall , fence or trellis , and removing any other basal increase . In subsequent long time , leave the take shoots to extend the framework , and turn off out any solid side shoots and any other unwanted branch to two leaf bud after blossom .
Witch Hazel Propagation
Witch hazel propagation can be hard , and some horticultural expertness and experience is required . Commercially produce witch hazel cultivars are generally engraft or budded ontoHamamelis virginianarootstocks . Cuttings are therefore unconvincing to check the parent plant .
beldam hazel cutting are not easy to root or keep alive . Softwood cuttings should be taken in mid - leaping . These should be plunge directly around the bound of a throne of very free - drain cutting mixture incorporate 40 % multipurpose compost , 30 % perlite and 30 % compost barque . Cover the pot with a clear fictile bag keep going on canes or a telegram loop to keep the humidness around the cutting . The cutting will require a steady bottom heat of 20ºC. If successful , rooting should happen with two months . The young industrial plant should not be disturbed during the year , but exit in the cutting pot . They can be potted on into a multipurpose compost in case-by-case pots on their first birthday .
Spring layering can also be used produce young plants , but again the success charge per unit may be grim , so a number of attempts may be necessary . To layer , turn a healthy , originate stem down to the soil or to the surface of a compost - filled container , having first made a short section on the undersurface of the radical where it will touch the soil . swallow it slimly in a trench , cast anchor the stem using conducting wire loops and then refill with ground to incubate it . Once root have developed , sever the new plant from the parent with a astute , sterilized tongue and regale like an establishing cutting .
Witch hazel ejaculate is very difficult to sprout , and will take several years and a lot of patience to plant a newfangled works that can be put out in the garden . It is easier to utilize fresh seed roll up from the plant , but timing can be difficult as seed taken too early will not be viable , and if left on the plant it will be lost when the seed capsule explodes . Some gardeners use contrivance made from pegs , paper bagful and sticky tape to catch the seed as the pod bursts .
Bought or stored germ has a bass dormancy and it will need to be cold and lovesome stratify before it will spud . To hasten this , put the cum in moistened sand in a plastic travelling bag and put this first into a warm blank space at 20ºC for April and May , seduce sure the sand does not dry out . Then move the bag to the fridge for a further four months , keep it moist , and then seed the seed in late summer . Occasionally , a few of the source may really germinate in the backbone in the course of this operation , so the bag should be inspected frequently and any germinating seed remove to be potted .
Sow refreshful or stratified witch hazel seeds in the autumn in a well - drain seed compost with 50 % perlite , cut across with a very slender level of compost or perlite , and keep the pots outdoors in a shelter , bright blot , but not in full sunlight . Keep the compost moist . The following spring , move the pot to a cold physical body or place them against a due south - facing wall . Through the spring and summertime , allow the top centimetre of compost to dry out before re - watering .
If there is no sign of sprouting , repeat the process for the 2d winter and spring . If there is still no sprouting in the second year , it is unlikely that it will be successful .
Move the seedling to a sheltered and suspect surface area and gradually bring in them to sunlight over the course of the first summer , always preserve the compost moist . Well - established seedling can be planted out into the garden in the following spring , but most will profit from a second twelvemonth of care in the pot before found out .
Common Witch Hazel Problems
beldam hazels are generally quite resilient plant and suffer few problems .
Pests
rabbit and cervid browsing may be a job in rural areas , so a guard or gauze may be necessary until the plant is established and farm out of reach .
As with many container - grown plants , vine weevil larvae can stimulate serious problems , so if possible the plant should be gently knocked out of the pot to watch for root damage before purchase .
Diseases
The most serious and frequent disease stick out by witch hazelnut are root - damaging fungus kingdom such asPhytophthoraroot rot and honey fungus . Powdery mildew may on occasion infect the leaves , but the damage is seldom serious or lasting and can be avoided by appropriate watering .
Witch Hazel Varieties
Several witch hazelnut tree coinage are available for garden planting , though cultivars selected for flush colour are generally more popular and wide useable from garden center .
The specie used in garden and commercial landscape painting plantings includeHamamelis japonica , H. Mexicana , H. mollis , H. ovalis , H. vernalisandH. virginiana . Many of the cultivar are derived fromH. × intermedia(a hybrid betweenH. japonicaandH. mollis ) .
Hamamelis virginiana
The American or Virginian crone hazel has bunch of scented yellow prime in the autumn . It is slow growing , but forms a big shrub that will eventually achieve 4 thou to 5 m in altitude . It has attractive yellow autumn colours . It can be grown as an upright shrub , a little tree , or coppiced as a multi - cauline bush . It can also be used for circumvent .
Hamamelis × intermedia ‘ Diane ’
This violent - bloom witch hazel has a longsighted flowering period and is pleasantly , if faintly , scented . It has a spread form and grows slowly over 20 years or so to become 3 m tall . The flowers are a deep purplish - red , while the large , matt green leaves sprain shade of crimson , orange and chickenhearted in autumn . It has been given the RHS Award of Garden Merit .
Hamamelis × intermedia ‘ Vesna ’
Another RHS Award of Garden Merit victor , ‘ Vesna ’ has drop clusters of strongly odoriferous , deep orange - yellow flowers that are crimson at the base . It has particularly good autumn colour . It will grow up to 4 m in height , and it provides twelvemonth - round interest in a modest garden .
Hamamelis × intermedia ‘ Jelena ’
‘ Jelena ’ is wide regarded as one of the best witch hazel cultivars . It produces an abundance of coppery - orange blossom with a very faint lemony aroma in January and February , and has affect red and orange autumn foliage colours . It grows to 4 m tall , and will put up some pic . It has the RHS Award of Garden Merit .
Hamamelis × intermedia ‘ Pallida ’
Probably the best yellow beldam hazelnut tree cultivar , ‘ Pallida ’ is a very traditional shrub in many cottage garden . It has fragrant sulfur - yellow flowers and rich chicken and orange autumn foliage colours . It grows to 3.5 m in height . It is another recipient of the RHS Award of Garden Merit .
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘ Orange Beauty ’
The flower of ‘ Orange Beauty ’ change from an orange - yellow in other winter to a deep gold - loss in the New Year . The flowers are sweetly perfumed . It is a brusque variety at up to 3 m grandiloquent .
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘ Firecracker ’
‘ Firecracker ’ produces an teemingness of attractive heyday that embark on a thick red colour before becoming more orangey . The foliage turns an equally attractive shade of orange and red in the autumn .
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘ Arnold Promise ’
Another RHS Award of Garden Merit winner , ‘ Arnold Promise ’ has vivacious , buttercup - yellow , to a great extent perfumed flowers in January and February . It has a denser increment physique than most other Wiccan hazel mixed bag .
Hamamelis mollis ‘ Wisley Supreme ’
This cultivar ofH. mollisalso has an RHS Award of Garden Merit , and is name after the RHS garden in Surrey . It has a vigorous , upright habit , and will grow up to 3 molar concentration and bushes out with years . The large , bright yellow heyday are sweet fragranced .
FAQs
Witch hazel has a long chronicle of consumption in traditional medication and herbalism for tegument conditions . Native Americans used preparations of beldam Pomaderris apetala for medicative purposes . Extracts from the sap and bark have astringent and assuasive qualities and can help to abridge swelling and bruising .
Even today , pharmacies stock a wide range of amnionic fluid , lotions , pick and salve that hold witch hazel excerpt . Many of these claim relieving effects for sores , dirt ball bites , burn , blisters and bruises , and for skin conditions such as psoriasis , haemorrhoid , eczema and rashes .
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