Hamamelis japonica Zuccariniana - Japanese witch hazel

The Hamamelis japonica 'Zuccariniana', also known as Witch Hazel, forms a small tree with an initially upright shape, spreading with age. Its slightly fragrant flowering is a primrose yellow tinted with brown at the base. It appears directly on the bark of the branches in March-April. It is also remarkable for its autumn foliage, which takes on sumptuous shades of orange, yellow, and red. This shrub has ornamental value from autumn to early spring, creating beautiful winter scenes and adding a lively touch of colour to the awakening of the garden in spring.

The Japanese Witch Hazel 'Zuccariniana' is native, as its name suggests, to Japan and is the origin of many popular hybrid varieties in gardens. All these plants belong to the Hamamelidaceae family, which also includes Loropetalum, Liquidambar, and Persian Parrotia, all of which consistently display fantastic autumn colours. 'Zuccariniana' slowly forms a spreading shrub, composed of a vertical trunk supporting a crown of upright and then spreading branches. At maturity, it reaches 3 to 4 m in height with the same spread. Its deciduous foliage consists of ovate leaves, initially yellowish-green with bronze reflections in spring, becoming dark green in summer, and then colouring in autumn with coppery orange, red with green or purplish areas, filling the garden with warm hues. Its slightly fragrant flowers are a beautiful surprise in late winter and a boon for the first bees. Each flower has four long and narrow petals of pale lemon yellow, supported at the base by small incurved sepals of dark brown. They abound on the bare branches during the months of March and April.

The 'Zuccariniana' Japanese Witch Hazel thrives in humus-rich, light, moist, and low-limestone soils. A semi-shade exposure is ideal. It adapts perfectly to woodland edges or under large trees, but it can also become a focal point in a border adorned with Heucheras, Daphnes, and Sarcococca. Its beauty is fully expressed in a border, accompanied by evergreen shrubs such as an autumn camellia or a Chimonanthus praecox. At the base of the Witch Hazel, consider planting winter heathers, a Japanese grass like Hakonechloa macra, or hellebores, creating a contrast of textures and colours and, of course, a carpet of early-flowering bulbs, such as snowdrops and eranthis.