Witch Hazel
Hamamelis x intermedia 'Strawberries and Cream'
(ham-uh-MEE-lis) (in-ter-MEE-dee-a)
We are going to shift gears here away from the Orchids and go to this handsome shrub that was actually blooming outdoors here this week. Witch Hazels are always nice to have out in the garden. They bloom so early and don’t seem to be deterred by the weather. This variety, which I had never seen before is marvelous. The subtle shadings of the flowers stand out on a good looking rounded shrub. The fragrance was there too. It is said to have the nice golden yellow fall color that is typical of the species.
Witch Hazels are slow growing and pretty much pest free. They like full sun but can tolerate part shade. Moist soil is best but they are not fussy about water. A little pruning to maintain shape is all that is required. There are many varieties available now in red, orange and yellow.
It supposed to rain another couple of inches here today and tomorrow. That is going to be sure to exacerbate the flooding situation we had here early this week when we got 3.59 inches of rain overnight. It was impossible to drive anywhere in town without being turned back.
5 comments:
stay safe with the flooding ----we are getting the front pushing through right now with a last little bit of rain. thank goodness our rain gauge just shows .62". Our lake came up a little more than a foot in the last week.
Here in the south I think the Witchhazel does better with shade, especially afternoon shade. Love that clove fragrance.
great info. i have never seen an actual witch hazel shrub before, although i used a witch hazel astrigent growing up for my acne. i wonder if i can grow it here (thailand). i think it's native to the US, eh? regardless.... lovely photo. thanks for sharing! happy WW
Good to see yours is blooming already, and I do love the fragrance. Ours should be out in a couple of weeks.
Thanks for the comments. This is the plant they make the old astringent from. I don't know if it will grow in Thailand. It probably needs some winter chilling.
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