UT Gardens' Plant of the Month for February 2008:

Hybrid Witch-hazel

Submitted by Dr. Sue Hamilton

Hybrid Witch-hazel, botanically known as Hamamelis x intermedia, is a winter-flowering shrub that will brighten any landscape. This deciduous shrub flowers in February and March and can have yellow, red, or orange blossoms. An added bonus is that the narrow ribbon-like, crinkly petals, which can grow up to 1-inch long, are highly fragrant.

Hybrid Witch-hazel is an upright growing shrub with ascending branches and a spreading habit. Depending upon cultivar selection, mature plant height can range from 6- to 20 feet tall and 8- to 12 feet wide. Coarse, green foliage during the summer turns to vibrant yellows and reds in the fall.

Easily grown in evenly moist but well-drained soils, hybrid witch-hazel prefers moist, acidic, organically rich soils. The shrub should be pruned in spring after flowering to control its shape and size. Hybrid Witch-hazel is a great plant for a mixed shrub border or a woodland garden.

The word "witch" in the common name of this shrub is actually a derivative from the Anglo-Saxon word “wych” meaning flexible. The word described the flexibility of the branches which Native Americans used to make bows. Native Americans also used witch-hazel leaves and bark as a poultice to reduce swelling and inflammation, and to this day witch-hazel is the active ingredient in many remedies, including hemorrhoid medications and lotions for treating bruises and insect bites. Extracts from its bark and leaves are also used in aftershave lotions

Dr. Sue Hamilton, a noted gardening expert, is on the faculty of the University of Tennessee Department of Plant Sciences. She also directs the UT Gardens, a project of the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station. The original gardens are located in Knoxville on Neyland Drive. Additional gardens are located in Jackson on Airways Blvd. Admission is free, and the Gardens are open to the public seven days a week during daylight hours.

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Contact:

Patricia C. McDaniels, (865) 974-7141