Hamamelis – Landscape Design Uses
Witch hazels fill garden niches and extends landscape interest to four seasons.
Dec 4, 2006
Multiple characteristics allow witch hazels to fill garden niches and extend landscape interest to four seasons. Effective use depends upon siting and use in a landscape.
Effective siting of Hamamelis in landscape niches or locations depends primarily upon using them along high traffic situations like walkways or in top visibility areas like windows, porches, or decks. Here are some design ideas observed in a variety of landscape settings:
- Large containers or planter boxes are suitable for semi-permanent plantings of small Hamamelis species like vernalis and its cultivars. Various groupings can enhance patios, entryways, or gathering places. They can also screen views and / or function as bollards. A handcart is ideal for moving planters to various locations depending upon dictates of the season.
- Building corners are excellent for showing off groupings of at least three plants similar in size and shape that relate to the size of the building. Planting between a building and walkway not only softens the building edge, but also allows pedestrians to appreciate the full beauty of Hamamelis.
- Groups of plants in multiples of three planted in open locations such as large gardens, parks or commercial landscape settings highlight the exquisiteness of this species. Settings such as these using greater numbers of plants allow a clever unfolding of the subtle seasonal characteristics of individual species and cultivars. A combination used at Longwood Gardens included H. x intermedia 'Jelena,' H. x intermedia 'Ruby Glow,'and H. mollis 'Brevipetala' sited in a triangle of lawn splitting a heavily trafficked walkway.
- Screen plantings or mixed borders allow Hamamelis to stand out when the plants are located in front of, or mixed in with, young evergreen trees and shrubs with textures like Tsuga (hemlocks), Pinus (pines), or Thuja (arbor vitae). Members of the witch hazel family (Hamamelidaceae) such as Fothergilla (fothergilla) species and cultivars, Parrotia persica (ironwood tree), and Itea virginica (Henry's garnet) which differ slightly in height, shape and form from Hamamelis, but share some of the same seasonal uniqueness, help call attention to these mixed compositions.
- Hamamelis trained in an espalier- or trellis-fashion against a dark-colored wall or fence is perhaps an idiosyncratic but distinct way to show off unique cultivars. Restricted locations like shady walkways and such intimate locations as courtyard gardens are ideal opportunities to show off the individual beauty of these plants.
Witch hazels, written by Christopher Lane, contains a wealth of information about witch hazels and their use in landscape design.
Locations in which to see collections of witch hazels include:
- Witch Hazel Nurseries, Sittingbourne, Kent, England
- The Sir Harold Hillier Arboretum and Gardens, nr Romsey, Hampshire, England
- Kalmthout Arboretum, nr Antwerp, Belgium
- Scott Arboretum, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA
- Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA, USA
You might also enjoy reading more about Hamamelis in some of my articles:
- Hamamelis - Landscape Artistocrats
- Hamamelis - Autumn Landscape Gold
- Hamamelis - Spring Landscape Gold
- Hamamelis - Best Landscape Sites
© Text and photograph by Georgene A. Bramlage December 2006. Reproduction without permission prohibited.
The copyright of the article Hamamelis – Landscape Design Uses in Landscaping is owned by Georgene A. Bramlage. Permission to republish Hamamelis – Landscape Design Uses in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
