I have had a Jelena for about 20 years. It's now a very large plant. Fall color has always been a pleasant if unspectacular yellow. Fall color in other trees and shrubs has been unusually vivid this year, but Jelena has been its usual self. The best reason for growing this variety is the flowers, not the fall color. Online photographs in this era of digital enhancement are not a reliable indication of much of anything in the real world, to put it mildly.

Some years my Jelena definitely has some streaks of orange and red in the leaves. Maybe it needs hotter summers than coastal Maine for that? I do recall it is variable, and yes, some years just a tepid yellow. Give yours a few more years, roger. To me, they aren't the fastest to establish plants in the world, often not growing much the first couple years on my unfertilized regime.

Thank you aka and David. I think next spring, I am going to move one to where the flowers are more easily seen from the house and the road if that is the main attraction. Its also planted close to a pool fence and I think its going to outgrow the spot.

These don't transplant well, you might be better off buying a second specimen to plant in the new location.

The Timber Press witch hazel book - written in Britain - says "autumn shades of yellow, orange, and red" for 'Jelena'. Seems like that's what it does in my area also. Correctly labeled specimens in eastern North America being yellow only are probably in exposures, soils or climates that don't support the multiple colors.

Do any of them not have that problem? I was just noticing the same thing yesterday with 'Rubin'. It has the problem worse than 'Jelena'. Though it seems to be more of an issue some years than others.

Rare Find Nursery is in central NJ, they are going to have a Witch Hazel talk tomorrow. I can't go, someone else go and report back. Rare Find Nursery

Luckily Rarefind is close enough, where I can and have made it there during lunch hour. Great customer service and good selection. Jelena, so far has been blah. And going by others experiences, I am afraid thats not atypical. Rarefind advertises it as " if you can only have one witch hazel, this is it". This is one instance when I feel, they got it wrong. That said, I am not ripping mine out as long as they are not struggling.

I do have C. vulgaris or carnea, but the white-flowered form. It does do fine and I have had it for several years. The one that is Calluna, according to some other, who opined, as you did, bloomed in late Summer. Here, less than 5 miles from the ocean and about a mile from a big bay, we have cooler Summers and warmer Winters. And, might I add, later Spring and later severe Winter weather. I know I make frequent mistakes, and appreciate your corrections. Thanks.