Thursday, January 23, 2014

Add A Beautiful Blooming Witch Hazel to Your Winter Garden

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena', best all-around cultivars,  intensely-fragrant orange flowers and fiery fall color. Photo by Janet Loughrey.

Sharing a great article by Garden Design Magazine

"Witch Hazel: A Tonic for Body and Soul"


The months between Christmas and spring stretch interminably for ardent gardeners, who grow restless for any sign of life in the landscape. While most plants lie in dormant slumber, the long, slender branches of witch hazel burst into bloom with ribbon-like petals of yellow, orange or red. The delicately fragrant flowers give renewed hope that spring is not far away.

American witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is known for its medicinal properties, the bark extract used as a time-honored remedy for a variety of skin and other bodily ailments. These east coast native shrubs or small trees are commonly found in wooded areas from Canada to Georgia. Clusters of citrus-scented petals appear in late fall before the leaves have dropped.

Perhaps the greater therapeutic value of witch hazel is the balm that soothes the soul when their tasseled flowers unfurl at a time when little else is blooming.

  

Read More at Garden Design Magazine



Shop For Witch Hazel At These Mail-Order Plant Sources:

Gossler Farms Nursery gosslerfarms.com
Greer Gardens greergardens.com
RareFind Nursery rarefindnursery.com

 

Hamamelis mollis (left), H. x intermedia "Orange Beauty" (right) Photo by Janet Loughrey.


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