Little Suzie Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana 'Little Suzie')
ham-ah-MAY-lis ver-jin-ee-AY-nah 'Little Suzie'

Deciduous Perennial Shrub in the Hamamelidaceae Family

Hamamelis virginiana, common witch hazel, is a deciduous, multi-stemmed native shrub (occasionally a small tree) found in the understory of eastern North American woodlands — the most widely distributed species in its genus. It's best known for a trait almost no other landscape plant shares: it blooms in late fall, its ribbon-like yellow flowers opening from October into December, often after the leaves have dropped.

Even more unusual, this year's flowers and last year's seed capsules mature at the same time. Mature capsules split explosively, flinging their shiny black seeds up to 30 feet from the parent plant — a genuine only-in-October phenomenon for anyone who plants one.

Pros

  • Blooms October to December, when almost nothing else is flowering
  • Deer-resistant and low-maintenance once established
  • Tolerates everything from full shade to full sun, plus heavy clay soil
  • Supports night-flying moths, native bees, and dozens of caterpillar species

Cons

  • Prefers consistently moist, humus-rich soil — struggles through drought
  • Suckers from the base and may need occasional removal to control spread
  • Large at maturity (15–20 ft) — needs room to fill in
  • Subtle flowers can go unnoticed unless planted where they're visible in late fall
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 15 - 20 feet tall. 15 - 20 feet wide.
Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium - Wet
Zones 3a - 8b (Usually hardy to -40° F)
Tags Deciduous, Full Sun, Medium, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial, Wet, Wet Site Tolerant
Bloom Period October to December
Foliage Color
 

Plant Club Content

Photos of This with...

Sunrich Lemon Sunflower, Alumroot 'Electra', Savannah Sunset Lion's Ear, Virginia Bluebells, Peter III Blue Aster,
 
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Pricing and Availability History

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!