20 Mar Witch hazel – Hamamelis
Posted at 08:00h
in Plant Profile
In my previous post I referenced witch hazel. Thought I would put up a photo in case you aren’t familiar with this lovely woody plant. It grows as a shrub or very small tree. The leaves are deciduous and the blooms form either in the fall or January-March.
The beauty shown here grows on The High Line. Its botanical name is Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’. This variety has orange and red blooms as opposed to the more often-seen yellow ones. Hamamelis virginiana is a witch hazel native to the US.
They all have a lovely, subtle fragrance. Somehow when I stick my face right in the blooms I don’t smell the fragrance as well as when it is carried over in the breeze.