Nobody can escape their magic: When brief daylight conjures up radiant clusters of flowers on these shrubs, is the spell of winter – fast – Broken.
The English call them "witches hazel", and indeed, in the middle of winter, witch hazel blossoms pop up as suddenly as if magically touched. However, this has nothing to do with witchcraft, our witch hazel from Asia follows the biological clock of a winter bloomer and reacts to short days. Depending on the variety, the yellow or red tufts appear between January and April, keep themselves under snow caps for a while and react quickly to frost: Then the delicate petals curl up and wait for warmer temperatures. Sheltered and above all sunny
therefore the best location for the witch hazel. The soil must be well drained, be wet and sour. The roots are just below the surface, therefore, you should not hoe under witch hazel and do not underplant the shrub. Witch hazel grows about 2.5 m high, but they're spreading fast, for example the magnificent "Barmstedt's Gold" or the fragrant "Pal-lida". Among the many breeds there are a few varieties, that remain rather narrow like the late "Arnold Promise". Let specialists like Baumschule Hachmann advise you.
1 Hingucker mit Fernwirkung: The flowers of "Arnold Promise" are particularly dense.
2 Lady in Red: "Diane" is considered the most beautiful of the red flowers. The dense flowers do not appear until February/March.
3 Einen starken Abgang gönnen sich einige Sorten im Herbst, when they could soak up the sun, hier „Arnold Promise“.
4 Frühaufsteher: In mild winters, "Pallida" can bloom and smell as early as Christmas.