Hamamelis intermedia Jelena - Witch Hazel

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena', is also known as Witch Hazel. This large bush is ornamental primarily for its original and fragrant flowers, coloured in light copper orange and yellow-ochre, tinged with red at the base. Then its foliage takes on a fantastic appearance in autumn, in a mix of yellow, orange and green shades before falling. This beautiful variety will animate the cold, dormant garden planted in mass with other winter-flowering shrubs to create an extraordinary tableau.

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena' is a horticultural variety obtained around 1935. It is part of a group of cultivars resulting from the cross-breeding between Hamamelis japonica and H. mollis, respectively from Japan and China. All these plants belong to the hamamelidaceae family, among which we find Loropetalum, Liquidambar and Persian ironwood. 'Jelena' slowly forms a large, vigorous bush with a spreading habit, reaching 4m (13 ft 1 in) in all directions at maturity. Its deciduous foliage is composed of ovate leaves, initially yellowish green with bronze reflections in spring, becoming dark green in summer, then turning yellow and copper-orange with green patches in autumn, filling the garden with warm hues. Its fragrant flowers delight as much as its colourful foliage. They abound on bare branches during the months of January and February and are composed of numerous elongated and curiously wrinkled petals, almost clawed like witch fingers.

Hamamelis intermedia 'Jelena' 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 in the back of a border along with Heuchera, Daphne, and Sarcococca. It will also be magnificent in a mass planting, associated with evergreen shrubs such as an autumn camellia or Chimonanthus praecox. At its base, you can plant winter heathers or hellebores.