My Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena' expired last summer. I had it for three years and it bloomed quite nicely last winter. It just didn't leaf out in the spring and I finally had to admit it was gone. The root stock tried to grow, so I dug it all up. I'm not sure what happened. The area it was planted in was a raised bed with good drainage. About three quarter sun. Anyway, I would like to replace it. I wonder if it is ok to plant another hamamelis in the same spot. Also, while I really liked the rusty, copper red of the blooms on "Jelena" I thought they would be fragrant and they weren't. Therefore, I am also looking for a recommendation for a fragrant and floriferous witch hazel. Arnold's Promise looks interesting. Thanks! WCG
If the rootstock survived and was attempting to grow, it was probably not a soil borne pathogen....should be no trouble replanting in the same spot. It might have been a failed graft or some other stem damage. Simon
Maybe even graft incompatibility. Could also be possible there was a problem with the soil, I suppose, with the Virginia witchhazel rootstock being so vigorous that part of it kept sprouting while the rest was declining. Some shrubs may take years to be killed by a water mold (Phytophthora etc.) or fungus (like Armillaria). Note: It's 'Arnold Promise', after the Arnold Arboretum.
It didn't show any sign of decline. It appeared quite vigorous and it bloomed well last winter. It just didn't leaf out this spring. We did have that very cold spell last year??? The wasn't any damage evident on the trunk. The rootstock sent up about five shoots a month or so after everything else leafed out. Thanks for the info.
I was talking about decline of the rootstock. The rootstock starts to fail, so the scion goes because it is losing its underpinning. That's why I mentioned part of the rootstock might still be able to sprout while the rest was history. This is all shots in the dark, of course, someone there looking at the plant in person might do better.
jsut came across your post .. right now, in a garden i tend, there are two beautiful hamamelis mollis 'pallida' blooming, and their fragrance wafts right out into the street .. i believe these are quite a larger than the 'jelena,' so space may be a factor .. however, the fragrance is intoxicating .. it would be my suggestion for a replacement .. although your note has been posted a while, so you may already have made a choice ..
Thanks for the suggestion. How large are your Pallida? How old? Our local garden centres expect stock in February, so I haven't made a decision yet. WCG
Probably be better to view established specimens in a collection right now if the intent is to evaluate the cultivars. Depending on how early in the month it shows up, stock received in Feb. may be starting to go over. And young small plants will never be showing their full potential, even if displayed during the peak of the season. My Chinese witch hazel started blooming last month, as it often does, and has been full out for awhile now. Some 'Firecracker', which I think were left unsold from last winter were also pretty much full out this afternoon at a nearby garden center. A cold, windy site, with the north winds coming across acres of open farm fields - and I think these specimens probably sat out through the worst of it without protection - yet even these have come on strong and may be spent in a matter of weeks.
Doesn't 'Pallida' hold on to the previous year's leaves? Has brown leaves held from last year when in full bloom. Some people may like this or pick the leaves off, maybe something to consider. Nice fragrance.
Mislabeled stock on the market, I doubt the true item does this much. Don't remember this being a problem with true-to-type plant in Seattle arboretum. Maybe it sometimes kept some, but not enough of a problem to make a lingering impression. Same cannot be said of 'Jelena'(?) in same collection, brown leaves at bloom seems recurring sight. Timber Press has a witch hazel book out, with comprehensive photos and descriptions. A monograph like this is the best place to look for comparative statements and the like, such works have more detail about each plant than those of broader scope.
I googled the book and discovered the author - Chris Lane - also has an excellent website http://www.witchhazelnurseries.co.uk/ Thanks for the lead. WCG
hi .. just got back to the forum .. re your question of the 'pallida' .. these two are likely 10 years old .. both have a lovely vase shape .. the one in the front yard is likely 12' tall and almost as wide .. the one in the back is about 8' by 8' .. that one was transplanted about six or seven years ago .. they both live in a relatively shady garden ..
the 'pallida' does hold onto some of the previous years' leaves .. i just cut them off before the blooms start to come ..
i've seen it as hamamelis mollis 'pallida' and as hamamelis intermedia 'pallida' .. do you know which is correct? .. or, are both? .. thanks
It was grown as a pure Chinese witchhazel before it was pointed out often enough that it is actually a hybrid. The significance of a 'Pallida' being looked at keeping its dead leaves depends on it really being a 'Pallida'. Chris Lane (Witch Hazels, Timber Press) does not mention retention of dead leaves on 'Pallida'. He does mention root rot caused by various pathogens causing a decline of witch hazels, especially among those that have been in containers.
