Hamamelis × intermedia 'Arnold Promise' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Hamamelis × intermedia 'Arnold Promise' — 19cm / 3L19cm / 3L
Hamamelis × intermedia 'Arnold Promise' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Witch hazel 'Arnold Promise'

Hamamelis × intermedia 'Arnold Promise'

£35.99
Hardy in the UKShade-tolerantRHS award winner
Pot size
19cm / 3L £35.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

Complete the set up
Description

Hamamelis × intermedia 'Arnold Promise' covers its bare winter branches in spidery, bright yellow flowers with a sweet scent that carries on cold, still days. Each flower is a tuft of narrow, crimped petals about 3cm across. In autumn the broad, hazel-like leaves turn red and yellow before they fall.

Hardiness and seasons. Rated H5 by the RHS, hardy to around -15C, and holder of the RHS Award of Garden Merit. It is one of the later witch hazels, flowering from late winter into March, and the petals curl up in hard frost and open again as it thaws. It is leafless from late autumn until after flowering.

Where it fits. A slow, open, vase-shaped shrub that eventually reaches 2.5 to 4m, so give it room at the back of a border or as a winter focal point. It flowers best in sun or light shade, in neutral to acid soil that stays moist; it will not thrive on chalk. Underplant it with sweet box for scent at ground level.

What you receive: a young shrub in a 19cm (3L) pot. Plants this size are typically 40 to 60cm tall and a few years from their full display: expect a scattering of flowers in the first winter or two, with more each year as the branches lengthen.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

Find out more

What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

Best quality plants guaranteed
7 day live arrival guarantee
Delivered to your door with care
Earn 179 points with this plant · 5 points per £1 Join free

How to care for Witch hazel 'Arnold Promise'

Plant me in full sun and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
Get to know me

About Witch hazel 'Arnold Promise'

Hamamelis × intermedia 'Arnold Promise' needs full sun or partial shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −15°C and stands a UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Exotic Borders Shade

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

RHS H5 · Hardy Exotic · down to around −15°C

Rated H5 by the RHS (-15 to -10C): hardy in most of the UK even in severe winters. The flowers shrug off frost, curling up in the cold and opening again as it thaws. No winter protection is needed in the ground. It is leafless from late autumn until after flowering. See what to expect through the seasons.

Position

Full sunPartial shadeNorth-facingSouth-facingEast-facingWest-facingExposedSheltered

Full sun or partial shade, in any aspect. It copes with exposed sites, though shelter from strong wind keeps the flowers looking their best. Light shade under taller trees or in a shady border is fine, but deep shade cuts flowering. Plant it where the winter flowers can be seen from a window or path, ideally against a dark background or with evergreen shrubs from our hardy exotic shrubs range.

Soil

ClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedWell-drainedAcid pHNeutral pH

Moist but well-drained, neutral to acid soil: loam, clay or sand with plenty of organic matter. It will not thrive on shallow chalk or alkaline soil. On neutral or slightly alkaline ground, dig in ericaceous compost at planting and mulch with leaf mould or bark.

Watering

Water regularly for the first two summers; young witch hazels dislike drying out. Mulch each spring with leaf mould or bark. Established plants need watering only in long dry spells. Read moreShow less

Water regularly for the first two summers; young witch hazels dislike drying out. Mulch each spring with leaf mould or bark. Established plants need watering only in long dry spells.

Mature size

Height2.5-4 m
Spread2.5-4 m

Reaches full size in 10-20 years

Growth habit

Bushy

Flowering

Jan-Mar · Yellow

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Deciduous

Pruning

Little pruning is needed (RHS pruning group 2). If needed, shorten wayward shoots straight after flowering, before the leaves open. Witch hazels are often grafted: rub out any shoots that appear from below the graft union.

Toxicity

No toxicity is recorded for this plant by the RHS. As with any garden plant, do not eat it.

Native range

Garden hybrid of Hamamelis japonica (Japan) and Hamamelis mollis (China); 'Arnold Promise' raised at the Arnold Arboretum, USA, named in 1963

Family

Hamamelidaceae

Also known as

Hamamelis × intermedia 'Arnold Promise'

Genus

Hamamelis
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

How big does Hamamelis 'Arnold Promise' get?

It is slow at first: UK growers give about 1.5 to 1.75m after ten years. In time it becomes a large, vase-shaped shrub of 2.5 to 4m tall and wide.

How soon will a young witch hazel flower?

A plant in a 3L pot is usually 40 to 60cm tall. It may carry a few flowers in its first winter or two, and the display builds each year as the branches lengthen.

Will Hamamelis grow in shade?

It grows well in partial shade but flowers best with some sun; deep shade cuts flowering. A spot at the edge of trees or in a lightly shaded border is ideal.

Why is Hamamelis called witch hazel?

'Witch' comes from the Old English word wice, meaning pliant or bendable, a reference to its flexible branches. Its twigs were also used for water divining, which may have reinforced the name. 'Arnold Promise' itself takes its name from the Arnold Arboretum in the USA, where it was raised and named in 1963.

What are the pros and cons of growing a witch hazel?

On the plus side: scented winter flowers, good autumn colour, full hardiness and few pests. The downsides are slow early growth, eventual size, and a need for neutral to acid soil, so it is not for chalk. For scent in a smaller space, look at sweet box or paperbush.

Does witch hazel need ericaceous soil?

Not strictly. It wants neutral to acid soil and will not thrive on chalk. In neutral ground, adding ericaceous compost at planting and mulching with leaf mould keeps it happy.

Are your plants treated with pesticides?
We aim to avoid using pesticides where possible, but we can't control the whole supply chain.

If the plant is going into a vivarium, terrarium or aquarium with live animals, rinse the leaves and roots well, remove any soil and let the plant dry out before adding it. We'd also suggest keeping it away from animals for a month first.
Can I see a photo of the exact plant I'll receive?
We're not able to send photos of individual plants or let you choose a specific one, as plants are selected by our team when your order is packed. Our photos show the variety and the kind of plant you can expect, and yours may vary a little in height, shape or fullness.

If a size has a code next to it, such as 9cm / B2, you're buying the exact plant pictured.
Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 7 days with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

Verified reviews

Rated by real customers

You may also like

We recommend
Hamamelis × intermedia 'Arnold Promise'
£35.99