It’s Peak Season for Witch Hazel
by Linda Nordstrom, FROGS Board Member and Green Spring Extension Master Gardener
Updated by Karen Aftergut, Green Spring Visitor Service Assistant and Green Spring Extension Master Gardener, from an article originally printed in January 2023
Zip up those coats, pull on your hat and gloves, and head out for a walk at Green Spring Gardens. The witch hazels are in season! The camellias have graced the garden with blooms since October, and now it is the witch hazels’ turn.
Green Spring Gardens is home to 230+ specimens of this beautiful plant and is one of only three National Witch Hazel Collections focused on Hamamelis (H) in the United States recognized by the American Public Gardens Association Plant Collections Network (PCN). Our witch hazel collection consists of 130 taxa of Hamamelis, mostly hybrids and cultivars of the North American and Asian species.
Most witch hazels bloom for weeks in winter and early spring. Our Virginia native witch hazel, the Hamamelis virginiana, is an autumn bloomer. When the weather is very cold, the blooms curl into themselves and await a warmer day. On those warmer days, the blooms unfurl, and, with some, their fragrance fills the air. Not all witch hazels bloom at the same time, so there is always a chance of catching a few in bloom throughout February and March.
Some witch hazels are vase-shaped and others have horizontal branching that in some species can spread to 15 feet. Their variety of colors gives Northern Virginia’s drab wintertime a surprising look. You can view a short video along with more about the collection on Green Spring Gardens website. Now, let’s go for that walk.
The Entrance Garden that you drive past as you come into the park has the most witch hazels. This garden on both sides of the walking path and across Witch Hazel Road, showcases our largest grouping of specimens in several hues of predominantly yellows, oranges, and reds. H ovalis (Mississippi native), H vernalis (native to the Ozarks), H intermedia (a cross between Japanese and Chinese witch hazels), as well as cultivars of H mollis (Chinese native), and H virginiana are predominant in this garden.
Continue your walk from the first stop sign at the parking lot toward the Historic House. As you reach the intersection of the sidewalks at the base of the Historic House driveway, there is a beautiful horizontal-shaped witch hazel on the left of the driveway. This “standout” blooms a stunning yellow-orange that can’t be missed when in full bloom.
As you walk up the driveway and turn left at the first parking space into the grass on your way to the Spring House Overlook, be sure to notice all the witch hazels in the garden beds amongst the trees. Hellebores and spring ephemerals bloom happily in the shade beneath them. When you reach the Spring House Overlook, you will see nearly a dozen shrubs, including different cultivar specimens of those listed for the Entrance Garden, as well as H japonica (Japanese native).
After this excursion through the grass to the Spring House Overlook, come back to the main walking path and continue throughout the gardens, which are sprinkled with more witch hazels. As you head back to your car, be sure to walk the path from the Horticulture Center along the parking lot. This area, called the Long Border, has witch hazels peppered throughout.
The red lines on the map (shown below) indicate three of the paths to walk to see the majority of the witch hazels.
Green Spring map showing the location of Witch Hazels (in red line)
We hope you enjoy your witch hazel journey through the gardens. Come back often!
All photos were taken by Linda Nordstrom.
Note: Be sure to sign-up for a Special Garden Tour on Witch Hazels, Saturday, March 7, from 10-11:30 am.
(16-adult) An Extension Master Gardener docent showcases our nationally accredited witch hazel collection, which features over 200 specimens. Fragrant, willowy blooms glow red, yellow, purple, and copper throughout the gardens from fall through March. $18 per person. Register online or call Green Spring Gardens at 703-642-5173.
