Hamamelis x intermedia 'OLD COPPER'

Witch hazels are unique shrubs that offer profuse flowering at times when everything else in the garden looks dull and far from cheerful. They are hybrids Asian species h.japonica and h.mollis. They form deciduous, mid-sized shrubs or small trees of an open vase shape, and thanks to its maximum size of about 3m they fit even a small garden.

Old Copper is a unique witch hazel variety selected by Hans Bruns from Westerstede in Germany in 1970. It produces the deepest copper orange flowers known so far. The petals are short but the variety blooms profusely, usually from mid-February for 6-8 weeks. Flowers are pleasantly fragrant, releasing a medium strong to strong, sweet and spicy perfume on a sunny day. Old Copper makes a compact, rather upright shrub with strong framework. Another thing makes witch hazels very attractive – autumn foliage colour. The leaves are deciduous, similar to hazel, rounded but larger, and turn golden yellow in autumn with is unexpected in case of an orange blooming variety.

Grow them in acid to neutral, moist but well drained soil. They don’t tolerate lime or hard pruning when older. Sunny location or light semi-shade is best. Fully hardy to about -29 °C (USDA zone 5) but exposed sites are not recommended.

Last update 05-03-2020