Hamamelis Species, Ozark Witch Hazel, Vernal Witch Hazel

I have two of these, one in deep shade and one in mostly sun, both with damp soil. They both bloom (earlier than Arnold's Promise, H. int...Read Moreermedia), with tiny flowers and a delightful clean-laundry fragrance, but the one in sun is growing much faster, bushier, and has had better fall color (clear butter-yellow). So far they have not plagued me with suckers. The shape is graceful, the foliage interesting, and in the Boston area anything that blooms in mid-winter is welcome in my garden!

Zone 4b-5, center NH/VT 1/2 mile from Connecticut river. Dubious soil about 1 foot deep above a thick pan of clay about 6 inches deep abo...Read Moreve a less-compact layer of clay down to China. 3 bushes planted by landscapers in 2013 spring. They survived the nasty brutish winter of 2014 that included at least 3 spells of -20 F temps, each followed by rises of temp higher than freezing. In March-April, when 3 feet of snow covered the ground I was amazed to see funny tiny yellowish flowers. A negative: last year's luxurious bright-green foliage was the main meal + dessert for Japanese beetles; I plucked them off daily, then discovered a neem-oil spray that helped. A positive: No observed deer damage -- we live on a very-active game trail (this year, across road just above our house, e.g. we witnessed the freeze-dried carcass of a deer), so I leave with this caveat: starting in late winter (and whenever else I saw their dainty footprints in the snow) I moved the game-trail away from the witch-hazel by spraying a nasty garlic+blood+rotten-egg repellent.

This is the first of the witch hazels to bloom, consistently starting in mid-January in Boston's Arnold Arboretum Z6a.

The...Read More flowers are smaller than with other witch hazels, and the habit is definitely more shrubby than treelike. The sweet fragrance is variable, much more noticeable in warmer spells.

It is a handsome, high quality shrub with a clean, neat habit. Handsome foliage, good yellow or orange autumn color, nice smooth gray bar...Read Morek, nice small gold and red-bronze flowers in February to early April. Most large nurseries sell this species, along with native plant nurseries and it is used by landscape architects more than any homeowner. It usually grows about 8 to 10 ft high in landscapes, but can get to about 20 ft or more in natural sites. A little smaller in leaf and size than the Common Witchhazel. Also smaller in size and leaf than the new popular Chinese-Japanese Witchhazels with the bigger flowers.