'Jelena' Witch Hazel cultivar parent plant is an artificial hybrid between H. japonica and H. mollis in the Hamamelidaceae family. 'Jelena' is upright or spreading with ascending branches. It will slowly reach a height of 8 to 12 feet. Plant in full sun to partial shade in fertile well-drained soils. Unusual winter flowers have a sweet fragrance and showy copper color are one of the main reasons for planting this shrub but it also offers beautiful green leaves in the summer and spring and spectacular fall color, providing year-round interest. Use this plant as a specimen planted in a shrub border, as a hedge or screen, in a woodland or winter garden. The shrub will tolerate pruning, but keep in mind that flowers will appear on old growth. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Caterpillars, Japanese beetles, leaf gall aphids, weevils, scale, leafroller, leafminer are occasional insect pests. Powdery mildew, occasional leaf spots, and rots are diseases to watch for. More information on Hamamelis x intermedia .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Available space
6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 8 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in. | Width: 8 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Ascending; Erect; Multi-stemmed; Spreading
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Green oval simple leaves up to 6" long turn an attractive orange-red color in the fall.
Fall color
Orange; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Orange; Red/Burgundy
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower shape
Cross
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Strappy 4 petaled copper flowers 1" across appear in axillary clusters along the stems February-March and have a sweet fragrance. The petals are narrow and have a crinkly ribbon appearance and actually are a combination of red at the base, orange through the center and yellow at the ends.