NJNLA PLANT OF THE MONTH - March

March has us all biding our time until the first signs of spring and checking each day for fat buds and bulbs sprouting from the ground. Plant a Witchhazel and your wait will be rewarded with yellow to red, fragrant, ribbon-like flowers in February and March. Yes....that early! It beats out the Forsythia every time!

Hamamelis vernalis

Witchhazel

Contributed by Elizabeth Johnston, Fullerton Grounds Management, Ledgewood, NJ

Facts about Hamamelis vernalis (according to Horticopia, Inc.):

Summer Leaf - Green

Fall Leaf - Yellow, Attractive fall colors

Bloom Color - Red, Yellow

Bloom Time - Winter

Fruit Color - Brown, Green

Growth Rate - Slow growth rate

Height - 6' to 10'

Spread - 6' to 10'

Exposure - Full shade to Full sun

Moisture - Grows in moist soil

Soil & Climate - Soil condition: Acidic, Alkaline, Clay, Loamy, Neutral, Sandy, Slightly alkaline, Well drained, Tolerates moderate drought

Witchhazels are very a versatile shrub and can become quite large and dense for screening, naturalizing, and privacy. The large, deep green leaves are great when being used as patterns for ink prints since they have serrated edges and deep veins. You can selectively prune the canes to create a more formal shape or let them have their own natural habit to transition a wooded area to your lawn. They can be used as a great backdrop for later flowering shrubs such as Hydrangea since they stand back and let the Hydrangea become the focus. By mixing the vernalis species which blooms very early spring and intermedia which blooms late fall (usually October) you can really extend the interest of this shrub.

Witchhazels will thrive in partial shade or full sun and they have a showy yellow foliage display in the fall. They like neutral pH soil that can be a bit damp, but not soggy. Fertilize them with granular fertilizer with high middle number (phosphorus) since the first number is nitrogen and will encourage your shrub to produce more foliage than flower. Prune after flowering and fertilize again in the late fall.

This shrub is also deer resistant which adds to its desirability. I don't find it to be formal enough in shape to be the hinge piece in a perennial garden, but underplanted with Hellebores (Lenten Rose), they herald long awaited spring. Plant them where you will enjoy them from indoors since they bloom so early and it is still so cold.