The Plot Newsletter

Witch Hazel: The Alchemist of Autumn

There’s a container of butt wipes in my bathroom and they are a direct result of watching too many TikToks on the toilet. The wipes contain an extract from the bark and twigs of the Witch Hazel tree. They are anti-inflammatory and used in both skin care and healing a strained bum (hemmorhoids). I was sent home with a prescription for this after a recent colonoscopy, where I was the youngest patient in the waiting room by about 30 years. It’s hard not to take notice when a doctor prescribes an herbal remedy instead of neverendingnameoxicillan. Since we are knee deep in the spooky season, I’d like you to meet the crone that healed my ails.

Meet Witch Hazel

The name Witch Hazel is surprisingly not a reference to Ariana Grande and all the other good witches out there. It refers to water witching, or the practice of using divining rods to find water. Its branches were preferred for this Broadway worthy performance and the name stuck. It’s just a coincidence that the plant also blooms around Halloween when most other flowers have gone to seed. 

Color

As the definitive late bloomer, it can’t help but stand out with a punch of yellow color. Both its fall leaves and long petals have a bright yellow hue. It’s a beacon to any pollinators, such as the Owlet Moths that are still fluttering about looking for food. It tends to bloom in late October, but this can depend on the weather with bloom times ranging from October to December. The flowers can last for 2-4 weeks gaining attention as the leaves fall away while the flowers persist.

Growth Habit

Witch Hazel is native to the Midwest and its range also includes the East Coast and parts of Southern Canada. It grows as a small tree (10-15’ tall), but it appears as more of a large vase shaped shrub in most cases due to branching. It enjoys part shade and rich, well drained soil, but it can tolerate clay and different light conditions as well. This makes it an adaptive plant for many Midwest yards.

Ecology

It is host to over 20 native moth caterpillars and provides late season food for pollinators. It also helps to create an understory rich with nesting spots for birds, while they feed on the caterpillars eating the leaves of the tree. It has a unique ballistic dispersal of it’s seed where it shoots them up to 30 feet away, which is why it will form looser colonies in the wild compared to dense thickets.

Healing Properties

The tree contains different compounds which have been used in herbal medicine. It creates tannins, flavonoids, volatile oils, and hamamelitannins (unique to Witch Hazel). It is strongly astringent and anti-inflammatory. My introduction was through these butt wipes, and I’m going to try this facial toner next.

Design

I recently planted this in my front yard for a late floral display. It’s part of my master plan to have the house with both the earliest and latest blooming plants in the front yard to stand out. It’s also great for filling in vertical space. Many homeowners don’t think about layering vertical space from the ground to the canopy, but this plant is perfect for adding another layer to your garden.

Ken’s Weekend Almanac

1. Tuck in perennials for Winter especially the new plants. Add some wood mulch to their base or let falling leaves land softly in the garden bed.

2. Bring houseplants indoors and check their soil for fungus gnats first. You might need to swap their soil before bringing them in. I recently brought in the fish from my water lily bowl, and they are settling into a nice tank in the basement.

3. Celebrate the harvest in the kitchen with an apple pie. Fill your house with the scent of roasting Cortland apples from a local orchard.

Plotter’s Commons:

Next week is the Halloween edition and it will be all about a type of ghostly garden. This week, I’d love to know all the plants you killed this year. (Bonus points for photos).

I’m still giving out a free sticker if you refer a friend to The Plot!

Community Board

• Read: Planting in a Post-Wild World, by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West. It also makes a good gift for any gardener.

• Night of 1000 Jack-O-Lanterns, Chicago Botanic Gardens

• Spirits in the Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden

• GLEAM, Madison, I recently did a volunteer shift here. I’m here to remind you that it closes this week.

Written for 150 beautiful readers. 💌
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Until next Thursday,
Ken Welch

About the Author

Ken Welch is a horticulturist and research professional at UW–Madison. He’s drawn to native ecosystems, community gardens, and helping others grow confidence in their craft.

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