Habitat

• garden hybrid between H. japonica and H. mollis
• zone 5

Habit and Form

• a deciduous, large shrub or small tree
• 15' to 20' tall, larger than parents
• multi-stemmed, loosely branched
• upright oval outline in youth
• more rounded and spreading with age

Summer Foliage

• alternate, simple leaves
• 3" to 6" long; somewhat rounded
• acuminate tip
• leaves are a downy, gray-green
• high quality

Autumn Foliage

• yellow to yellow orange
• can be very showy

Flowers

• four, long, narrow petals; spider-like
• open early, late January to March
• flowers open and close depending on weather conditions
• different colors depending on cultivar
• long lasting, slightly fragrant
• very showy for late winter

Fruit

• a capsule
• not of major ornamental importance

Bark

• smooth gray to gray brown

Culture

• full sun to partial shade
• moist fertile acidic soil
• plants often grafted, prune out suckers from below union
• no pruning required or desired
• needs space to develop, do not crowd

Landscape Use

• specimen
• border
• for late winter bloom
• for fall color of foliage
• good with a background of evergreens or snow

Liabilities

• relatively problem free
• must prune any suckers from below graft union
• can be slow to develop

ID Features

• naked buds
• large, showy, late winter flowers
• flower buds present in fall and early winter
• wedge shaped leaves, serrated on top half

Propagation

• most cultivars are grafted
• cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

Many cultivars exist, but those presented below are most popular.

'Arnold Promise' - This form is among the best and most popular yellow-flowered forms, with bright yellow blooms that have a reddish base. It appears to bloom later than other cultivars.

'Diane' - Perhaps the finest red-flowering form, this selection bears coppery-red blooms that may be masked partially by retained dead leaves.

'Jelena' (also known as 'Copper Beauty') - A popular form with coppery blooms that lighten to yellow at the tips, this plant is also desirable for its wide-spreading habit and good orange-red fall color.

'Pallida' - This award-winning plant has confused nomenclature, as some claim it is a H. mollis selection. In any case, most observers rate this plant as one of the best. Its flowers are light yellow and borne abundantly on a broad-spreading plant. The blooms are pleasantly fragrant and appear early in the season, often by February.

'Primavera' - One of the better selections for flower fragrance, this plant sports abundant blooms that are yellow with a prominent reddish base. It flowers early and features yellow fall color.

'Ruby Glow' (also known as 'Adonis' and 'Rubra Superba') - This selection flowers deep coppery-red to red-brown, but lacks much fragrance. It has a notable vase-shaped habit 20' tall and wide and the fall color is good orange-red.

'Sunburst' - This is a new selection on the market that has received rave reviews for the intensity of its profuse yellow blooms. Like 'Pallida', it may be a selection of H. mollis, but it lacks the fragrance of 'Pallida' and it may retain some leaves that obscure bloom.

'Westerstede' - This plant is also frequently listed as a H. mollis form. It bears light yellow blooms with a light fragrance late in the witchhazel season (late February to March). The fall color is yellow and the habit is upright.