Witch Hazel vs Northern Gooseberry - TreeTime.ca

Witch Hazel vs Northern Gooseberry

Ribes oxyacanthoides

Hamamelis virginiana

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Northern Gooseberry
Witch Hazel

Northern Gooseberry is a small, ornamental quality native shrub with prickly stems. You can plant it anywhere you'd plant Prickly Rose or Common Wild Rose, such as your yard.

Most people find Northern Gooseberry berries a bit tart for significant fresh eating but they are good for baking, wine or jam.

Witch Hazel is a deciduous shrub, or small tree, with a short trunk, bearing numerous spreading, crooked branches.

The seeds grow in a long, wooden pod with two to four seeds per pod. Upon ripening, the pods burst, firing the seeds up to 30km an hour.

The leaf and bark extract of Witch Hazel has been used as a remedy to common ailments such as inflammation, bruises and much more for many centuries.

Northern Gooseberry Quick Facts

Witch Hazel Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Light: any
Light: any
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: long
Suckering: none
Suckering: medium


Berries: purple or purplish black
Seeds: seeds ejected to a distance of up to 30 ft
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NL, YT, NT
Native to: ON, QC, NS, NB, PE
Other Names: canada gooseberry, canadian gooseberry