The large shrub or small tree that should be on every gardeners wish list. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
By BotGardBln0906/CC BY-SA 3.0
When you hear the name witch hazel, you may think of skin care products. But this large shrub or small tree produces golden-yellow, ribbon-like flowers and releases a spicy scent when it blooms in the fall.
Although they are small, witch hazel blossoms are worth planting the shrub. Depending on the species, witch hazel blooms at odd times, usually when not many other flowers are out. The blooms are generally not much bigger than a penny, composed of ribbon-like petals in a variety of colors such as orange, yellow, red, pink, and purple. What these little flowers lack in size, they make up for in quantity and timing. An even more fragrant species is Chinese witch hazel, which blooms even earlier in mid- to late winter. A single shrub of Chinese witch hazel can easily perfume an entire yard.
Witch hazel is easy to grow in a variety of conditions. Though it’s important witch hazel doesn’t get too wet, make sure it doesn’t dry out during the heat of summer; otherwise it will suffer from leaf scorch.
Listen to Cathy Isom’s This Land of Ours program here.