Marianne's Response
Witch Hazel not blooming

I hope you can please suggest what is wrong with my witch hazel bush? It has never done more than sprout tiny blossoms, like in the photo, and this is at least five years old. Photo taken today, 3/16/2020. Thanks
Posted by S Gruver on March 17, 2020
Marianne's Response
Hmm. I am not fully sure on my diagnosis but I suspect you just have a common variety of witch hazel (the Ozark witch hazel) with small flowers. There are many improved varieties of this shrub with larger blooms. My other thought is lack of sunshine as these shrubs bloom best with at least 6 hours of sun a day. Poor soil can also contribute to poor blooming. I suggest you prune your shrub once it is finished flowering, removing all dead wood and pruning any weak branches to open up the inside of the shrub. Then apply Osmocote All Purpose around the base of the plant. Next spring if you still are not happy with the blooming performance dig it up and plant an early flowering forsythia or quince instead. Life is too short to put up with plants that do not make you happy and late winter is when we all appreciate flowers in our garden. Perhaps you can add some hellebores, snowdrops and pulmonarias to this area and create an entire pocket garden of early spring bloomers. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti