Hamamelis intermedia Feuerzauber - Witch Hazel

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Feuerzauber' stands out from other hybrid witch hazels with its strangely flared habit that resembles the shape of a large cup when the bush is mature. Its fragrant flowering is a little later than other varieties. It bursts to life in an astonishing spicy colour, which is a mix of coppery-orange suffused with red and tinged with purple at the base. Its autumn foliage is also remarkable, taking on sumptuous shades of orange, yellow, and red, sometimes with a purple-violet hue. This beautiful variety brightens up autumn and signals the end of gloomy days. Plant it alongside other winter-flowering bushes to create a timeless tableau.

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Feuerzauber' is a horticultural variety obtained in Germany around 1958. It belongs to a group of cultivars resulting from the cross-breeding between H. japonica and H. mollis, originating respectively from Japan and China. All these plants belong to the Hamamelidaceae family, among which we find loropetalum, liquidambar, and Persian parrotia, which invariably adorn themselves with fantastically coloured foliage. 'Feuerzauber' slowly forms a large, vigorous bush, with an upright habit during its youth, then spreading and with ascending branches, reaching a height and width of 3.5m (12ft) at maturity. Its deciduous foliage is composed of ovate leaves. They are initially yellowish-green with bronze reflections in spring, becoming dark green in summer, and then turning coppery-orange and red with green or purple areas in autumn, filling the garden with warm tones. Its slightly fragrant flowers are just as delightful as its colourful foliage. They appear in abundance on bare branches during February and March, composed of numerous elongated and curiously wrinkled petals, almost clawed like witch's fingers.

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Feuerzauber' likes humus-rich, limestone-poor, moist, and light soils. A semi-shaded exposure will suit it perfectly. Plant it on the edge of woodland, under large trees, or at the back of a border alongside heucheras, daphnes, and sarcococca. It will also be magnificent in a flower bed, alongside evergreen shrubs such as an autumn camellia or Chimonanthus praecox. At its base, you can plant winter heathers or hellebores, for example.