I visited the Washington Park Arboretum in January and admired the blooming Hamamelis. There was strong fragrance in the air, but we were unable to tell which tree was the most fragrant. Can you tell me which variety is most fragrant of the ones in the Arboretum?
Also, I have read that Hamamelis virginiana is very fragrant but I don’t know if it does well here in the Northwest.
Scent can be a subjective matter, but the local group Great Plant Picks does have an evaluation of various Hamamelis species and cultivars, and according to their list, Hamamelis mollis is exceptionally fragrant compared to the rest.
Missouri Botanical Garden agrees with this assessment, stating that Chinese witch hazel (H. mollis and its cultivars) is the most fragrant species.
About the scent of Hamamelis virginiana, Chris Lane’s book Witch Hazels (Timber Press, 2005) only says “sweet scent.” In his book, Winter-flowering Shrubs, Michael Buffin rates the scent of various witch hazels as follows:
- H. mollis: highly scented
- H. x intermedia: varies; ‘Pallida’ has most scent; ‘Aphrodite’ slightly scented; ‘Allgold’ is strong but slightly musky; ‘Arnold Promise’ has strong scent; ‘Barmstedt Gold’ is very slightly scented; ‘Dishi’ is highly scented; ‘Diane’ nearly scentless; ‘Hiltingbury’ weakly scented; ‘Jelena’ moderate; ‘Moonlight’ strong, sweet; ‘Orange Peel’ reasonably good scent; ‘Sunburst’ lacks scent; ‘Vesna’ very sweet; ‘Westerdale’ moderate; ‘Winter Beauty’ scentless.
- H. japonica: sweet but faint
- H. vernalis: musky
- H. virginiana: slightly scented
Hamamelis virginiana is more commonly grown for providing astringent, or as commercial rootstock than as a garden plant. It is native to eastern North America, though it will also grow here in the Northwest. It has a habit of holding onto its dead leaves.
Here is another article which discusses fragrance in Hamamelis, from Swarthmore College’s Scott Arboretum blog (posted 2/25/2011). the author says: “Getting my top ranking was H. mollis ‘Wisley Supreme’ and ‘Early Bright’ which do hold some leaves but have fantastic fragrance.”
As an example of the subjectivity of smell, see the following from Val Easton’s Seattle Times column:
“Q: I have purchased a Hamamelis virginiana and I don’t think it is anything like (the fragrant plant) you have written about. Will you let me know exactly which witch hazel has great fragrance and blooms in January/February?
A: The liniment witch hazel is made from the bark of Hamamelis virginiana, but that’s your plant’s main claim to fame. The Chinese witch hazels (Hamamelis mollis), and plants crossed with them, are supremely fragrant and bloom in winter (H. virginiana blooms in autumn and its flowers are so small they’re often lost beneath the leaves). Some of the earliest-blooming witch hazels are Hamamelis x intermedia, which have the Chinese witch hazels as one of their parents; ‘Pallida’ blooms earliest in late January or February; ‘Diane’ has dark red flowers, and ‘Arnold’s Promise’ has large, bright yellow flowers a little later in the winter. All are deliciously fragrant.”