January 8th, certainly the earliest I have every seen my garden Witch Hazel bloom! To seize such a moment one must grab the Felco’s immediately and bring the scented sprigs in, if only to last a few days. These spidery and ‘witchy, wild’ flowers emit a subtle fragrance and bright yellow colour, replacing the conifer and Christmas spice candles that were whisked into the cabinet just yesterday, along with remaining RED splashes of garland and berries on mantle and sill.
I don’t want spring, I have barely skied this winter, but I do want YELLOW this week under gray skies and drizzle on the west coast.
Hybrid? Japanese? Chinese? Or common?
Searching my garden ‘records’ did not reveal the cultivar but I do believe I would have chosen the hybrid ‘Arnold Promise’ as it has dark yellow flowers and is commonly available here.
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’ the x means it’s a cross between the Chinese and Japanese types.
Hamamelis japonica – Japanese, smaller flowers
Hamamelis mollis – Chinese, I have read are stronger scented
Hamamelis virginiana or macrophylla – common native variety
Grows in Canadian zones 4-9
WITCH part of the name comes from Old English wice meaning pliant or bendable.
WHY? I grow it for the winter flowers (orange ,red or yellow) and bright autumn leaf colour. Also, it has character. A sprawly shrub that spreads its branches upward and out, confidently claiming its space. It gets you into the garden in January, looking for the 1st signs of flowers. If you don’t inspect regularly, you could miss the show, and wouldn’t that be a pity because that’s why you planted the darn thing.
COOL…the woody seed capsules burst with great force, sending the shiny black seeds for long distances (I read 33’). Seeds are not abundant on the shrub so maybe this is their natural mechanism for ensuring offspring?
ALSO COOL…if you read this long enough, I copied its medicinal properties at the end: acne, hemorrhoids, childbirth tearing, aftershave and eyedrops – what haven’t I needed this for !?!
ROAD TRIP?
I like to check my “Trees of Vancouver” book which may not be up to date, however, it may be worth a drive to see if these old specimens of Witch Hazel are still standing. Bring your camera and at least get out of the car and stand underneath them if they are blooming to be “in the moment” as you may be under a spidery, flowery, canopy. Take a child if you can as they always help appreciate the “wonder”.
* north side of 70th Ave between Heather St & Logan St
* 2 large ones growing together north of the rose garden in Stanley Park
* SE corner of 5th Ave & Dunbar St
* NE corner of 9th Ave & Tolmie St
* Several west of the quarry garden in Queen Elizabeth Park
* in the Winter Garden at UBC Botanical Garden
* along the Rhododendron Walk at VanDusen Botanical Garden
Let me know of your local sightings, as I, and likely you, don’t live in Vancouver
LASTLY, this suddenly reminds me to get out in the garden a few times a week. If this warm weather keeps up I will see the snowdrop, hellebore, crocus, and camelia soon and my favourite – the heady scent of Japanese Sweetbox in my garden. Sarcoccocca. Nothing beats this scent in winter aaaaahh
Medicinal uses
The bark and leaves are astringent; the extract, also referred to as witch hazel, is used medicinally. Extracts from its bark and leaves are used in aftershave lotions and lotions for treating bruises and insect bites. Witch-hazel helps to shrink and contract blood vessels back to normal size, hence its use as the active ingredient in many hemorrhoid medications. It is also a common treatment for postnatal tearing of the perineum. The seeds contain a quantity of oil and are edible. It is also used in treating acne. Witch Hazel is also used in treating psoriasis and eczema. In addition, Witch Hazel is sometimes found as an ingredient in eye drops.
