Planted in winter 2018 from Mr. Maple online.
I put this in a pot on the deck, although witch hazel can apparently grow well in New Mexico soils.
(It seems to be late to leaf out? In 2019 I repotted it in March, and that may have delayed it. In late April the leaf buds are tightly held, not ready to open. I think of witch hazel as related to the Parrotia, and that little tree has been in full leaf since mid April.)
2019:
The second winter, despite bitter temperatures for months on end, it bloomed beautifully in mid February. No fragrance yet. The pot cracked in the deep cold, and I'll have to repot this in spring.
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| February 16, 2019 |
I do love seeing this little pop of bright yellow out on the deck on these gray gloomy days of winter!
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| March 9, just repotted into a larger container. |
While repotting, I did catch a whiff of sweet perfume. Just a few whiffs. Sweet, with that clear, sparkling fragrance i can't describe!
I was concerned that daily watering in hot, dry droughty June was washing away any nutrients, so I fertilized, and I overdid it. In the summer of 2018 this poor witch hazel developed nitrogen toxicity -- the leaves turned so dark green they were almost black.
It did not put on any growth, just sat there, dark-leaved and almost stunted looking. Finally, in mid July it started to put on new growth that looks healthier.
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| July 20, 2018 Finally putting out some new, healthier green leaves. |
I like the strong branchy architectural look right outside the bedroom slider. When I walk into the bedroom, the pot draws the eye outside right away. I tried a more flowery plant there, but it's the tree-like structure and the strong lines of the pot that come into the foreground and look really nice there.
What I hope the potted witch hazel will look like in winter in the future:
