Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.

Early one morning in late October, I drove down Daffodil Hill and around to the Azalea Garden. As I was rounding the corner, I found myself arrested by one of my favorite late season fragrances. I can never describe the scent–some call it slightly spicy. All I can tell you is that it is clean, inviting, and has a pleasant perfume that isn’t overpowering. But one thing is certain: fragrance is an unexpected pleasure this late in the season.

The plant in question is our native witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), which was given its name because its forked branches were once used as divining rods. These “V” or “Y”-shaped branches were taken up by those who felt them useful in locating underground water–a practice formerly known as “water witching.”

A lovely benefit of anything that flowers in late fall (or winter through early spring) is that the flowers tend to last for a long time. The cool weather slows down senescence and the flowers linger for weeks. On warmer days, the fragrance wafts through the air, advertising to local insects that the flowers are there.
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Oh, why hello there witch-hazel. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?

Hamamelis virginiana — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Nearing spring, we find plenty to be excited about as we walk through The New York Botanical Garden’s outdoor collections. Not that there isn’t a faint sense of curiosity, too; as Sonia Uyterhoeven has explained before, the weather patterns this winter have tricked certain plants into breaking dormancy early, resulting in a few blooms that will end up missing their spring date. But regardless, we appreciate the beauty whenever it happens to come around. And many of these flowering plants are proving right on time.
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Joyce H. Newman is the editor of Consumer Reports’ GreenerChoices.org, and has been a Docent with The New York Botanical Garden for the past six years.

In the midst of winter’s blustery winds and wicked temperatures, it’s a great relief to see the warm yellow flowers of witch-hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia) brightening up the Garden path behind the Home Gardening Center.

This fragrant hybrid shrub is a relative of the North American native H. virginiana, or common witch-hazel, a plant that is certainly a little magical to some. Lore suggests the common name refers to the forked twigs that were sometimes used in earlier times for “water-witching,” or dowsing to locate underground water. These native plants bloom in the fall rather than the winter, but are just as impressive.
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Witch-Hazel isn’t just cheery in the winter, it’s also a welcome addition to the chorus of colors early spring brings.

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Birgit'

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Aphrodite'

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Barmstedt Gold'

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Angelly'

Witch-Hazel isn’t just an effective folk remedy, it’s also a beautiful, early-blooming plant that can provide fabulous color to your late-winter garden.

Hamamelis mollis (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)

Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Orange Peel’ (Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)

Hamamelis vernalis (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)