Witch Hazel Fall Color

This fall color was too pretty to ignore -- it's Hamamelis x intermedia, or witch hazel. I've posted photos of this plant blooming in the gray winter, but the oranges and yellows that you can get in autumn is an equally good reason to use this plant. Our native witch hazel, Hamamelis vernalis is also a popular plant, but it has a more consistently yellow fall color.



The word Hamamelis is Greek and is a reference to a plant that flowers and fruits at the same time. -Melis is derivative of the Greek word for apple (similar to Malus, the actual genus for apple and melon). The common name is due to the fact that divining rods were historically made from this plant.