• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Witchhazels for winter blooms and Wildflower Wednesday

March 1, 2018 By Carol Michel 6 Comments

My goal for the last several years is to have something newly blooming at any given time in my garden. Then it will always be “spring” in my garden, at least for one or two plants.

That’s one of the reasons I planted the native Vernal or Ozark Witchhazel, Hamamelis vernalis.

It usually blooms in February, and right on schedule, it is blooming this February in my garden.

Though the flowers aren’t that showy—especially when you have the straight species like I have—they do have a nice scent which I caught a few whiffs of as I worked on cleaning up this particular border. This is where most of the hellebores are and it is time to cut off their old foliage.

Surprisingly, given how many garden borders and beds I’ve named around here, this particular bed with the witchhazel has no name… yet. I’m sure I’ll figure out a name in due time. No reason to rush these things.

I was curious about the witchhazels, or witch hazels if you prefer,  so I did some investigating.

Who pollinates a flower that blooms in February, when we can often have snow on the ground? (Though this year we don’t have snow, thank goodness.)  It appears some kind of winter moth pollinates it, but it is hit or miss, as it would be with winter flowers, so the witchhazel rarely sets any kind of fruit or seed. You do not have to worry that your witchhazel will self-sow around your garden!

What other uses are there for witchhazel? Well, glad you asked. Apparently, native Americans used forked witchhazel branches as dowsing rods to help them find sources of underground water.  Whether or not they used this particular species, I don’t know. Most of the references are for the Common or American Witchhazel, Hamamelis virginiana, which is noteworthy for blooming in late fall to early winter. I will have to look over my Vernal Witchhazel to see if there is a suitable forked branch for dowsing, or divining as some call it.

Maybe I’ll call this border with the witchhazel “The Divine Border” in honor of this use of the witchhazel branches? Hmmm… I like that name. I will try it out and see if it sticks.

Anyway, after it blooms and the leaves come out later in the spring, the witchhazel is a lovely, large, green shrub which looks best in a mixed border. In the fall, the leaves turn to yellowish orange, as I recall. That makes it at least a two season plant, and since there aren’t that many winter season plants,   I recommend you plant one.

I also recommend you go see what else is going on for Wildflower Wednesday at Clay and Limestone where Gail hosts this monthly meme. (She’s featuring another native shrub blooming now and dog-gone-it, I want one for my garden. It could keep the witchhazel company in The Divine Border!)

SaveSave

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: wildflower wednesday

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gail says

    March 1, 2018 at 12:39 am

    I like the name~Divine Border! That witch hazel is divine! Happy WW.

    Reply
  2. Lea @ Lea's Menagerie says

    March 1, 2018 at 4:30 am

    A fun post, and informative too!
    Happy Wildflower Wednesday!

    Reply
  3. Covegirl says

    March 1, 2018 at 1:02 pm

    I would love to have Witch hazel in my new yard!

    Reply
  4. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening says

    March 1, 2018 at 6:05 pm

    Witch Hazel is a nice pick and I like the name "Divine Border"! All season interest has become a number one priority on my gardening list as well. This was an informative post!

    Reply
  5. Nell says

    March 2, 2018 at 2:08 am

    There are some cultivars of the vernal witch hazel selected specifically for colorful fall foliage, which are worth checking out; two seasons of display are definitely better than one, and although they grow fairly slowly, they do become a real presence in time. There are some selections much more compact than the species, too.

    Klehm (Song Sparrow) has some of these, and they're grown on their own roots so no suckering. I'm looking around to find more sources, and think those of you in the Midwest and the Ozark witch hazel's native range might find some.

    Reply
  6. Snoring Dog Studio says

    March 2, 2018 at 2:01 pm

    It is a great idea to have a constantly blooming garden! Why just wait for summer? I never heard of a witch hazel, but now I do! And how great to have February blooms!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,053)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT