How often to water spike winter hazel in California
In July on the north-central coast, established spike winter hazel in loam needs a deep watering about every 13 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 29 gallons a week. Spike winter hazel is a deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub from Japan with crooked, flexible branches. In late winter and early spring, drooping chains of fragrant, lemon-yellow flowers hang from the bare stems. It wants acidic, humus-rich soil that stays evenly moist yet drains well. Hard summer heat raises its need for water.
How often to water spike winter hazel, month by month
Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.
How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1.5 feet of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area under the branches, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.
How to tell it needs water
- Soil dry 2 inches down beneath the branch tips in summer is the cue for a slow, deep soak
- Blue-green summer leaves hanging limp in afternoon heat over dry ground mean the shrub needs water and more shade
- Bronze-purple new leaves in spring are their normal opening color, not a sign of stress
- Yellow blossoms browned overnight after a late cold snap show frost injury, which watering cannot prevent
- Ground that stays waterlogged around the stems for days, often in clay, means drainage needs fixing before more water goes on
How to water it
- Lay drip line or a soaker hose in a ring under the spreading branches, reaching past the outermost stems
- Water slowly until the soil is moist about a foot down, then check again once the surface layer starts to dry
- Keep shredded bark or leaf mold over the roots to hold moisture and add humus, clear of the stem bases
- Plant it in acidic, organically rich ground, and work in plenty of compost where the soil is heavy clay
- Choose a spot with afternoon shade and shelter from strong wind, which also slows soil drying
Through the seasons
A newly planted spike winter hazel needs steady moisture through its first two summers as its roots spread into the bed. Even established plants need extra water during extreme heat. Flowers open on bare wood in late winter to early spring, then bronze-purple leaves unfold and turn blue-green. The leaves go yellow in fall and drop, and the bare shrub uses little water over winter. On the north-central coast, WUCOLS rates it moderate water, and winter rain there handles the cool season. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley or South Inland. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the south coast, the high desert or the low desert.
In pots
A young spike winter hazel can grow in a large tub. At full size it is a 4 to 8 foot shrub, better suited to the ground. Fill the tub with an acidic mix rich in organic matter that still drains freely. Feel the mix 2 inches down every few days in warm weather, and every day during a heat wave. Soak until water flows out the bottom, and never leave the tub standing in a full saucer. Keep it out of afternoon sun and wind. Once the leaves fall, the shrub needs much less, but do not let the mix dry out completely.
- A year
- no figure
- Reference
- Sacramento climate table
- Counts
- Plant need, before sprinkler losses
WUCOLS lists Spike Winter Hazel as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.
Monthly water need by climate zone
Spike Winter Hazel: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone
| Month | N. Coast | C. Valley | S. Coast | S. Inland | Hi Desert | Lo Desert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.37 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Feb | 0.53 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mar | 0.87 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Apr | 1.18 | – | – | – | – | – |
| May | 1.46 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jun | 1.61 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jul | 1.61 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Aug | 1.49 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sep | 1.24 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Oct | 0.87 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Nov | 0.47 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Dec | 0.31 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Year | 12 | – | – | – | – | – |
How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.
Plants with the same water needs 16
Rated not evaluated in the Central Valley, like spike winter hazel. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.
Hawthorn MapleAcer crataegifoliumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Mountain MapleAcer glabrumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Miyabe MapleAcer miyabeinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Everglades PalmAcoelorraphe wrightiinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Pink CedarAcrocarpus fraxinifoliusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
YellowwoodAfrocarpus falcatus (Podocarpus falcatus)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
New Caledonian PineAraucaria columnaris (A. cookii)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Formosa Sugar PalmArenga englerinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
NeemAzadirachta indicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Bismarck PalmBismarckia nobilisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
American HornbeamCarpinus caroliniananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Japanese HornbeamCarpinus japonicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
American YellowwoodCladrastis kentukeanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Pagoda DogwoodCornus alternifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Giant DogwoodCornus controversanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Butterfly PalmDypsis lutescens (Areca)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingTurn this into minutes on your water days
Every city page has a calculator that takes spike winter hazel, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.
Questions people ask
How much water does spike winter hazel need per day?
In July on the north-central coast, established spike winter hazel needs about 4.1 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 16 gallons a day under a 20 foot canopy. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.
Does watering for spike winter hazel change across California?
Yes. WUCOLS rates spike winter hazel separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, not suited to this region in the South Coastal zone, not evaluated in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, not suited to this region in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.
How is spike winter hazel different from buttercup winter hazel?
Spike winter hazel carries longer flower chains, usually six to twelve blooms each, where buttercup winter hazel has only two or three. Spike winter hazel grows about 4 to 8 feet tall and up to 10 feet wide. Both want evenly moist, acidic soil that drains well.
When does spike winter hazel bloom?
It blooms in late winter to early spring, before the leaves unfold. The lemon-yellow flowers are fragrant and hang in drooping clusters up to about 2 inches long. Late frost can brown them, so a sheltered spot helps.
Is spike winter hazel related to witch hazel?
Yes. Both belong to the witch hazel family, and both bring flowers to the garden in late winter. The name Corylopsis means like a hazel, for the resemblance of its leaves to hazelnut leaves.
When should I prune spike winter hazel?
Prune only as needed, as soon as the flowers fade. It can also serve as an informal hedge or in a shrub border, which can take a trim at the same time.
Why are my spike winter hazel leaves purple?
New leaves open bronze-purple in spring and turn blue-green later in the season. This is the normal color change, not stress or thirst. The cultivar 'Golden Spring' has chartreuse summer leaves instead.
Does spike winter hazel need acidic soil?
Yes. It grows best in acidic, organically rich soil that drains well. It tolerates average garden soil but not heavy clay left unamended. Where the native soil is heavy, plant it in a raised bed with plenty of organic matter.
More plant watering guides
Sources
- WUCOLS IV plant water use classification for Corylopsis spicata, the University of California survey California agencies use for landscape plan reviewRead August 23, 2026 on wucols.ucdavis.edu
- Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, adopted text and appendices, effective 2025-01-02 · monthly reference evapotranspiration per city, Appendix CRead August 23, 2026 on water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/Water-Use-And-Efficiency/MWELO-Rulemaking/Final-MWELO-Text-and-Appendices_20250103.pdf
- UC Statewide IPM Program, irrigation scheduling using evapotranspirationRead September 30, 2026 on ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/ENVIRON/evap.html
- Shaw and Pittenger, Landscape Irrigation System Evaluation and Management, UC Cooperative Extension, 2009Read September 30, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2013-02/160836.pdf
- Pittenger, Water Management in Gardens and Landscapes, UC Riverside, 2017Read September 30, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2017-03/258022.pdf