It is late November and a buttery cloud appears to have settled in my garden. This pleasant apparition is the fall foliage of common witch hazel; the thick, soft, scalloped-edged leaves turn a beautiful golden yellow in the fall, and, as if that were not enough, this is also when it blooms. Clusters of odd-looking, mildly fragrant, yellow flowers cling to the narrow, twisty branches, perhaps a shade brighter than the leaves, a marvel and a delight in the late autumn landscape. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? Unfortunately, that dense cloud of leaves pretty much obscures the flowers.

Common witch hazel, Hamamelis virginiana, is native to the woodland understory of the eastern United States in zones 3 through 8. Typically multi-stemmed, common witch hazel is an attractive, large shrub or small tree. The lettuce-green leaves are broad ovals with wavy, toothed edges. It has smooth bark and charmingly irregular twisting branches. The dense leaves make it useful as a screen or in a hedgerow; the tree-like form calls for underplanting with spring ephemerals and woodland plants.

Historically, common witch hazel was thought to have magical powers derived from its pliant, forked limbs. It became the preferred wood for dowsing or divining rods which were used to find underground water sources and mineral deposits.Dowsing was an established feature of well-digging into the 20th century. Well-known to Native Americans (and subsequently to early European settlers) for its medicinal properties, teas, or poultices made from the leaves and bark of common witch hazel were employed against colds, fevers, kidney disease, and skin conditions, among other ailments. Witch hazel extract is still in use today and, yes, this plant is the source of the witch hazel you presently find on pharmacy shelves; it is one of the few plants approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Common witch hazel is one of the very last trees or shrubs to bloom in New England. Stem-hugging, yellow flowers are clustered on the branches in late autumn or early winter. The flowers are so interesting. The petals, four per flower, look like crinkled strips of paper ribbon. These spidery creations curl up into tiny fists in cold weather, unfurling when the temperature climbs. The blooms last up to eight weeks; petals curling and uncurling as the temperature dictates. The light citrusy scent may be faint outdoors, especially on cold or overcast days, but bringing a few cut branches into the house will fill a room with scent.

Fertilized flowers form green fruits in a lengthy process extending over the course of the winter and into the following growing season. The fruits are seed capsules that become woody and turn brown as they mature. The following autumn, the seed capsules split open, with an audible snap, expelling the shiny black seeds, usually two, up to 30 feet away. (The genus name, Hamamelis, comes from the Greek word hama, meaning at the same time, and melon. meaning fruit, because the fruit and the flowers occur at the same time.) The seeds may be eaten by birds; those seeds that escape avian gullets take still another year to germinate.

Perfect for modestly sized gardens, plant witch hazel where you can enjoy its cold-season flowers; they really are a pleasure. If you site your witch hazel with its ultimate size in mind, pruning will not be necessary. Suckers (vertical shoots) should be removed to prevent spreading. Be sure to do this after leaf drop lest you encourage new suckers to sprout. If you must cut it back, wait until spring, after flowering but before leafout, and cut back the previous year's growth to a few leaf buds per branch.

Common witch hazel is an easy keeper, tolerant of a range of soil types and light conditions. In my garden, it has been consistently healthy through seasons of drenching rains, drought, raging winds, and wild temperature swings, all of which make it a very good plant for our newly unpredictable weather. Its only flaw, really, is that the flowers are obscured. There's a cultivar for that: Hamamelis virginiana 'Harvest Moon' flowers after leaf drop.