Jessie Keith
Family
Hamamelidaceae
Botanical Name
Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise'
Plant Common Name
Arnold Promise Showy Witchhazel, Showy Witchhazel
General Description
A well-known and highly revered selection, ‘Arnold Promise’ boasts extra large flowers of brilliant yellow that really stand out in the winter landscape. It also offers vigorous growth, a lovely vase-shaped habit and fine fall color. It was introduced in 1963 by The Arnold Arboretum, the arboretum of Harvard University in Boston.
This late winter blooming hybrid shrub is certainly the most widely celebrated.
In the last dreary days of winter its branches become dotted with fragrant, colorful, spidery flowers. The vase-shaped shrub blends and amplifies the great ornamental characteristics of its two parents, Chinese witchhazel (Hamamelis mollis) and Japanese witchhazel (H. japonica).
Witchhazel has dull dark green leaves that are broadly oval with wavy edges and short tips. The new leaves are glossier on top and paler and slightly fuzzy beneath. In autumn they turn shades of gold with deep orange and red tones. The bark is smooth and gray-brown, but the smaller twigs, from which the flowers arise, are lighter in color. In late winter and early spring, lots of bright golden yellow flowers appear. These have four long, thin and crinkly petals. They are boldly fragrant, both sweet and spicy, and may last for a month.
Plant witchhazel in full to partial sun and organic-rich, acid or neutral soil with even moisture and good drainage. Simply put: the more sun, the grander the flower show. Its growth is considerably slower in drier soils and hot locations.
This shrub is a wonderful specimen plant for open landscapes, foundations, mixed borders or public landscapes – from parks and campuses to commercial courtyard and entrance gardens. It looks especially lovely when low groundcovers and early spring bulbs blanket the soil under the branches.
Characteristics
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AHS Heat Zone
8 - 1
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USDA Hardiness Zone
5 - 8
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Sunset Zone
3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 16, 17
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Plant Type
Shrub
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Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade
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Height
12'-15' / 3.7m - 4.6m
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Width
12'-15' / 3.7m - 4.6m
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Bloom Time
Early Spring, Winter, Late Winter
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Native To
Hybrid Origin
