Light Needs
Mature Height
Mature Spread
Growing Zones
Providing food for pollinators and nectar drinkers in your garden year round can be a challenge. Few shrubs or perennials bloom far into the fall let alone start in the late fall. If you have non-migrating Hummingbirds in your area, consider planting Harvest Moon Witch hazel. That’s right, this deciduous shrub starts blooming after it loses its leaves in November even in the colder hardiness zones. Meaning that you can have extremely late season interest and feed the wildlife at the same time.
Harvest Moon witch hazel is botanically known as Hamamelis virginiana and it is native to North America. The spidery, yellow flowers appear after the foliage has fallen in early fall. Using Witch Hazel in a woodland garden scheme or in an open meadow area really adds to the year round interest. Witch Hazel is quite a large shrub that looks best when planted on its own as a highlighted specimen or as past of a collection of other Witch Hazels that bloom at different times of the winter.
Harvest Moon Witch Hazel Care
Planting Harvest Moon in full sun to part shade will ensure that it blooms profusely. Soil texture can be anything from a bit of clay to sandy. A neutral pH is perfect. Fertilizing is not recommended on an annual basis. Native plants tend to need far less feeding than hybrid varieties. Consistent watering is needed until Witch hazel establishes fully. After this shrub is mature it will be more drought tolerant.
Pruning to keep the size smaller on Witch Hazel is easy to do. The time to prune is in late winter before the new foliage appears. Cut back any branches that are dead, diseased, dying or diagonal. Witch Hazel looks best when it is left to have as open a shape as possible, so make sure not to make too many branch shortening cuts. Harvest Moon is a large shrub, but would survive in a large container happily for quite a few years. The beautiful pink tinged spring foliage and the fall flowers would make for a dramatic display on a deck or patio.
Harvest Moon Witch Hazel Spacing
Harvest Moon has a mature height and width of 12-15 feet. Spacing for planting as a hedge or with other shrubs is recommended at 12 feet on center.
Harvest Moon Witch Hazel Plant Facts
Growing Conditions
- Hardiness ZonesGrowing Zones
- USDA Zones 4 to 8 (perennial); grown as an annual elsewhere (outdoors year-round); grown indoors elsewhere (outdoors year-round); grown in containers elsewhere (grown as a seasonal crop)
- Sun Exposure
- Part Shade to Full Sun (3+ Hours Direct Sun)
- Mature Height
- 12-15 Feet
- Mature Spread
- 12-15 Feet
- Growth Habit
- , Upright
- Water Needs
- Average
Flowers & Foliage
- Flower Colors
- , Yellow
- Flower Description
- Yellow
- Bloom Time
- Fall
- Blooms On
-
New Wood
?
"Blooms on" tells you which stems produce flowers, which decides when it's safe to prune.
- New Wood: Flowers form on stems that grow this season. Prune in late winter or early spring without losing blooms.
- Old Wood: Flower buds form on last year's stems. Prune right after flowering. Pruning in fall or early spring removes next year's blooms.
- Both New and Old Wood: Blooms on last year's stems and again on new growth, so it flowers even after a hard winter or a mistimed pruning. Prune lightly after the first flush of blooms.
- When to Prune
- Late winter to early spring, before new growth starts
- Foliage Color
- , Green
- Foliage Description
- Green
- Foliage Type
- , Deciduous
- Seasonal Interest
- , Spring Flowering, Fall Flowering, Winter Interest
Garden Benefits
Plant Overview
- Common Name
- Harvest Moon Witch Hazel
- Botanical Name
- HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA 'HARVEST MOON'
- Plant Type
- Shrub
Simple Plant Spacing Calculator
Please Note: The pictures below are to give a general representation of the different container sizes. The actual size/ages of plants are estimates and will vary based on type of plant, time of year, last pruning & many other factors.
Also Known As:
Quart
Plant Age:
~ 6 months - 1 year
Plant Size:
~ 4"-8"
Pot Size:
~ 4.75"H x 4.5"W
Volume:
1.50 quarts
Also Known As:
2.5 Quart Pot
Plant Age:
~ 1 - 2 years old
Plant Size:
~ 8"-12"
Pot Size:
~ 6.5"H x 6.5"W
Volume:
2.20-2.30 quarts
Also Known As:
#1 Container
1 Gallon
Plant Age:
~ 1 - 2 years old
Plant Size:
~ 10"-14"
Pot Size:
~ 7"H x 7.75"W
Volume:
2.26-3.73 quarts
Also Known As:
#2 Container
2 Gallon
Plant Age:
~ 1.5 - 3 years old
Plant Size:
~ 12"-18"
Pot Size:
~ 9.5"H x 9.5"W
Volume:
1.19-1.76 gallons
Also Known As:
#3 Container
3 Gallon
Plant Age:
~ 2 - 4 years old
Plant Size:
~ 12"-30"
Pot Size:
~9.5"H x 11"W
Volume:
2.32-2.76 gallons
Also Known As:
#5 Container
5 Gallon
Plant Age:
~3-4 years old
Plant Size:
~ 20" - 60"
Pot Size:
~11" H x 10 1/2” W
Volume:
3.5 - 4 gallons
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Plant Addicts ships to the lower 48 states within the U.S. Unfortunately, we do not currently ship to Alaska, Hawaii, or internationally.
This plant cannot be shipped to the following states: AK, HI. These restrictions apply only to this specific plant due to agricultural regulations or other limitations. Other plants may still be available for shipping to these states.
If you have any questions about shipping restrictions, feel free to reach out to our team!