Hamamelis x intermedia Orange Beauty - Witch Hazel

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Orange Beauty' is a variety of Witch Hazel with winter flowering in orange. Its orange flowers resemble spiders with their small, curved filaments resembling legs. This flowering, which brings joy in this often dark season, is not its only attraction, as its deciduous green foliage, which appears after the flowers, turns yellow and then orange in autumn. Reserved for cool and non-limestone soils, this bush is a must-have for autumn and winter scenes in the garden.

Hamamelis belongs to the small family of Hamamelidaceae, mainly known to enthusiasts for a few genera such as Corylopsis, with its early yellow flowering, Fothergilla, or Loropetalum. The Hamamelis genus has only five species, three from North America and two from Asia, Hamamelis japonica and H. mollis, which through cross-breeding have given rise to H. x intermedia. The witch hazel is so named because of its foliage resembling that of the hazel tree and its flowering with small, slightly claw-like filaments like the fingers of this creature.

'Orange Beauty' is a variety of Hamamelis x intermedia that started its career under the simple name of 'Orange', then renamed 'Orange Beauty' 10 years later. It is also sometimes referred to as 'August Lamkem'. Slow-growing, this Hamamelis will reach 1.50m after 10 years of cultivation and approximately 3m in height with a similar spread at maturity. It has a very characteristic spreading habit, with initially airy branching that densifies with age. In January and February, the bare wood is covered with small flowers about 3cm in size, consisting of narrow and frizzy filaments that are easily identifiable. They have an orange colour that darkens slightly towards the base of the flower, which itself is a mahogany red, creating a very nice contrast. Despite their modest size, the flowers are quite visible as they are numerous and not concealed by the leaves, which will appear later, after the fading. They are slightly fragrant. The ascending branches bear deciduous leaves. Measuring approximately 10 to 12cm long and 6 to 8cm wide, they are ovate in shape. Dark green on the upper side and much lighter on the underside, they have well-marked veins. They are carried by short petioles of 1cm and are slightly pendulous. In autumn, they offer a remarkable spectacle by first turning yellow, then changing to orange before finally falling.

Hamamelis 'Orange Beauty' has its rightful place in the creation of an autumn and winter flower bed. You can accompany it with a few Autumn Camellias, with white, pink, or red flowers, whose evergreen foliage will enhance the flowers of 'Orange Beauty'. Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Nanjing Gold' is a small bush with very structured branching that produces pleasant-smelling yellow flower balls from February to April, extending the flowering period of your flower bed into spring. More hardy, Stachyurus praecox is another bush for autumn and winter: at the end of the season, its foliage takes on beautiful red-purple colours, and in February-March, it blooms with pendant clusters of yellow bell-shaped flowers that resemble pearl necklaces.