Ozark Witch Hazel

Hamamelis vernalis

Other Names: Vernal Witch Hazel

The Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 3a-8b Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Deciduous Flowering Shrub or Small Tree

Height at Maturity: 6-12′

Width at Maturity: 8-15′

Spacing: 7′ for solid hedges; 16’+ for space between plants

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Broad

Growth Rate: Moderate to Fast

Flower Color: Yellow with Red or Orange

Flower Size: 1.5″

Flowering Period: Mid Winter to Early Spring!

Flower Type: Single in clusters

Fragrant Flowers: Yes!

Foliage Color: Medium to Dark Green, Golden-Yellow in fall

Fragrant Foliage: No

Berries: No

Berry Color: NA

Sun Needs: Full Sun or Mostly Sun, Morning Sun with Dappled or Afternoon Shade, Morning Shade with Evening Sun

Water Needs: Average

Soil Type: Clay (amend heavy clay to ensure good drainage), Loam, Sandy, Silt

Soil Moisture / Drainage: Moist But Well-Drained to occasionally wet

Soil pH: 5.0 – 7.5 (Acid to Moderately Alkaline)

Maintenance / Care: Very Low

Attracts: Visual Attention

Resistances: Cold Temperatures (-40F), Deer, Humidity, Insects

Why We Love This Plant

What we love most about this tough but pretty North American native flowering shrub is that it blooms right in the middle of winter into early spring, when we need color most in the landscape. This beauty produces a profusion of showy and fragrant frilly flowers in a variety of colors ranging from shades of yellow, orange and red with petals resembling twisted ribbons. Oval shaped leaves to 6 inches long emerge light green with reddish-bronze tints in spring, maturing to a medium to dark green by summer, and finally to attractive golden-yellow with the arrival of cooler temperatures in fall. You can leave this one to grow naturally as a large shrub or remove lower branches to form an outstanding small specimen tree reaching 6 to 12 feet tall and wide at maturity. A superior and easy-to-grow winter-flowering shrub for the landscape.

Native Americans are known to have boiled twigs to create soothing medications for wounds, muscle soreness, insect bites, bruises, and burns.

In Your Landscape

Growing 15 to 20 feet tall and equally as wide, American Witch hazel can be grown as a large shrub or small tree. As a shrub it is ideal for use as a specimen, in groupings, or as a natural tall hedge. As the shrub grows taller, lower branches can be removed to form a small evergreen tree that serves well as a colorful focal point specimen in landscape borders and home foundations. A fine addition to yellow theme gardens, native plant gardens, medicinal gardens and cottage gardens.

Suggested Spacing: 10 feet apart for solid hedge; 22 feet or more apart for space between plants

Growing Basics

The Ozark Witch Hazel is very easy to grow in most any moist but well-drained soil of average or better fertility and full sun to part shade. It prefers a consistently moist acidic soil rich in organic matter but also grows well in clay soils provided the drainage is good. Little pruning is required but responds well to it for shaping purposes, size, or to tree form.

Planting & Care Advice from Our Experts

Plant and care for as you would Loropetalum shrubs.

How To Plant A Loropetalum Shrub

How To Fertilize & Water A Loropetalum Shrub

Plant Long & Prosper!

Meet The Wilson Brothers & Staff

Questions? Contact Us

Arrived in great shape. Plant is bare this time of year, but looking forward to watching all the new growth nodes take off in spring.———————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

The plants arrived quickly and in great condition. A real plus was the fact that although they had very healthy roots, they weren’t rootbound. I highly recommend your nursery.—————————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG