Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)

Witch Hazel
Hamamelis virginiana

Common witch hazel in all its fall blooming glory, 11/15/06, Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville KY

This looks exactly like my cornus mas - Cornelian Cherry Dogwood! VV, are you positive that this was a witch hazel and not a CCD? They bloom at the same time. :)

I happened to be perusing for WH photos to determine size and saw this and wondered if I was in the wrong area. LOL! It is an uncommon tree but we have a mature one in our backyard that is 80+ years old! :)

Oh ye of little faith!

Hi ademink; long time, no hear. Don't see you around the threads much these days. Come hang out at Trees & Shrubs -- things are a little stale from the midwest perspective.

Ah yes, the similarities may abound (from a distant view) between common witchhazel and cherry dogwood, but they end with the color coordination.

If you have a Cornus mas that blooms in November with Hamamelis virginiana, I want to drive up to Indy right now and collect some propagating wood.

I took this picture in mid-November 2006 at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville. I always try to put the date/place in comments on my contributed PlantFiles photos so that users may gain extra value from the information. This differs from the date that the picture actually got loaded into PlantFiles; maybe this is the date that is confusing you.

I assume you looked at the date that the image was posted when you commented that "They bloom at the same time..." Your Cornus mas does bloom in late winter/spring. Witchhazels that may overlap in this bloom time will be Hamamelis vernalis (Ozark or vernal witchhazel) and the imports like Hamamelis mollis and Hamamelis x intermedia. 'Arnold Promise' is famous for late winter blooming, almost overlapping with Forsythia.

But you'll never have a Hamamelis virginiana blooming in late winter/spring, or once again I'll be forced to come visit and extract some of that DNA for propagation.

I am fortunate to have planted six Cornus mas 'Golden Glory' around my driveway seventeen years ago. I get a faceful of them every day of the year, and couldn't confuse the species if I tried. I am extremely jealous of your 80 year old witchhazel. Please share pictures of it when you can.

ROFL! I didn't think you even remembered me! I should have known better than to wonder if YOU had the photos wrong. I thought....hmmm...maybe his domain is only viburnum and he dropped the ball on this one....................not so much. LOL!

I have an 80+ y/o Cornus mas...not witch hazel. What an amazing tree it is! A driveway of them would be incredible! It took me a year (five years ago) to even figure out what kind of tree it was b/c I've never seen another one anywhere in Indianapolis.

WOW, that witch hazel pic is gorgeous, I had no idea they got that large! I thought their claim to fame was just bloom time but the form on this one is so cool too!

I will be heading over to trees & shrubs to stir things up a bit. You can only talk about rhodies and azaleas so long, eh? LOL I'm on the hunt for something I reaaaaaaaaally like for a dry spot in the yard that gets some late afternoon sun. (Thus the rabbit trail here...)

By the way, thanks to your advice in that loooooooooooooooooooooong Viburnum dentatum and friends thread from ages ago, my Blue Muffin Viburnum is LOADED with berries this year! YIPPEE!!! :D Or course, I planted in a spot that I think is going to be too small for its britches so that may become an issue. I just had to move an 8' "lacecap" (don't know exact ID) viburnum a few weeks ago b/c it went from a cute little 1' shrub to a monster in two years. hehe It transplanted beautifully - miracles DO happen! :)

Note to self: Believe mature sizes and heed them. LOL

Great to see you and I'll see you stomping around on GW!

That is one gorgeous picture, full of winter mood and yet the promise of life. I am linking it to an article tonight, hope to have it run soon, on yellow fall-foliaged shrubs. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Sally!

That was a cool wet day in Cave Hill Cemetery (Louisville KY) a few years ago, which is situated very close to several of the major parks in our system here. I try to get over there monthly, just to observe and learn from the behavior of plants in its wonderful rural landscape cemetery collection.

They have a number of larger older witch hazels (as well as lots of Cornus mas), but this one just glowed like a beacon in an area that was otherwise still and dormant. The amazing number of trunks that have been carefully preserved contributes to the massing and effect you see.

Why this plant isn't in more midwest/eastern landscapes, I'll never know.

Well, I'll try to do my bit to help it out. I have even thought I need one but not done it. Homegrown wild dogwoods kept needing homes.
I'll have to take notice of the old cemetaries for specimens like that. And those wet still days, intensify the colors but leave ya feeling contemplative at the same time.
Hmmmmm-I would like to have a good picture of nice fall color on a Bottlebrush buckeye ...With the warm damp weather here, mine has barely started to change, and is getting rusty at the same time. Same with my Calycanthus. And I hope the Clethra around the corner didn't get all its leaves blasted off in todays wind.
"On the lookout for yellow leafed shrubs"

Some/many of the Lindera species ought to offer rewarding yellow/gold tones.

Do variegated conifers count in your article? I don't care for them, but they can sure bust out striking yellows in the fall - a couple of the Chamaecyparis blaze to mind...

Great dog - what focus!

Thanks for the tip. I might still add Lindera to the article. I had started reading about various fall color shrubs (so many great ones,,, Fothergilla, Aronia...) and ended up for the length of the article, doing yellow only, a paragraph on each of the four above, as good choices for yellow on deciduous shrubs. Long articles are great but to get this done by end of month, this is one where I narrowed the focus. This way I got to have the fun of reading about plants and them summing up what seemed most interesting or important. and once I reach the minimum suggested length, well then if more can be submitted under another topic I get paid again. More than you actually cared to know...
By the way, I really was very busy for the summer. Like many other very senior people my Mom had a lot of health problems. I am just getting back into DG for more than the rare thread/ post, and trying to get back on track with articles.



This message was edited Oct 31, 2010 5:04 PM

Sorry to hear about your Mom. My co-worker here has had similar experiences with both of her elderly parents, and her mother passed away last winter. My thoughts go out to you.

No offense taken on caution, and you/DH are wise to screen potential visitors. It makes sense to interact in a PUBLIC place before inviting new people into one's home. Restaurants are typically good venues (dutch).

Keep up the good writing - let me know when the shrub article is scheduled. 15 kilobytes of fame...


This message was edited Oct 31, 2010 5:44 PM

Hey, I had no doubt as to your 'authenticity' after having read so many of your posts. But thanks for understanding. And the comment about good writing--well I am swooning. I am uneducated about plants except what I read and learn by doing, after getting a BS in the Ag department which only got me into Soils and Botany 101 as far as plant stuff goes.
I've added Lindera to the article (excellent suggestion) and will find out in a day or two when it will run. Now I think it's time to retire and try not to listen to the very chilly wind around the house, and the dozen plants I've left out to fend for themselves.
See ya round the Identification forum.

This message was edited Oct 31, 2010 5:01 PM

And I am such a jerk not to express equal belated condolences to your coworker on loss of her mom, and concerns with her dad. The caregiving can be so demanding. And you deserve a pat for, I'm sure, doing your part to support that.

This message was edited Oct 31, 2010 5:03 PM

See your Dmail, Sally.