If you look broadly at the winter landscape, it’s easy to see it all just in browns and grays interspersed with the occasional dark green of non-deciduous trees. But look a little closer and you’ll find that there are shrubs that are full of color, providing an artistic contrast to winter’s otherwise monochromatic palette.
This was brought home to me this past Monday as I was driving into Phoenixville. A few blocks short of my destination, I pulled off to the curb, turned off the car engine, and leapt out with my iPhone in hand. There in the front yard of a small house was one of the most beautiful witch hazel shrubs I’ve ever seen. About seven feet tall, it was laden with frilly, burnt-orange blossoms, and drenched in a subtle, sweet fragrance. What a find on a cold, blustery, February day!
There are several witch hazels worth talking about. Hamamelis virginiana is the common witch hazel, native to most of the eastern United States. It’s shade-tolerant, but best in full sun for dense branching. Overall, it does best in moist situations, and tolerates our clay soils as long as they don’t hold too much water. The flowers, which appear anywhere from mid-October to early December, are yellow and fragrant. Can reach a height of 15-20 feet with an equal spread. Promptly remove suckers to prevent colonizing. Little pruning is required. Can be kept smaller through pruning. Prune in early spring if necessary.
Chinese witch hazel (H. mollis) flowers more abundantly than H. virginiana and later – January through March. Prune in spring after flowering to control shape and size. Typically matures to 10-15′ tall with a rounded shape.
Hamamelis x intermedia is a cross between H. mollis and H. japonica (Japanese witch hazel). The flowers vary from yellow to reddish. Some of the cultivars have orange flowers. Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Aphrodite’ is described as “a show-stopper, with exceptionally large burnt-orange flowers that bloom profusely in late winter,” according to www.gardendesign.com/plants/hamamelis-virginiana.html. It’s possible that this is the witch hazel I stumbled upon in Phoenixville is one of these.
Witch hazel is not just a lovely landscape plant. The bark and leaves have been used for centuries as an astringent useful in a host of home remedies and pharmaceutical products to shrink swollen tissues, stop bleeding, ease bruising, and soothe the skin. (You can view a short list at http://www.naturallivingideas.com/14-reasons-why-witch-hazel-should-be-in-every-home/)
Here are my other favorite shrubs for the winter season:
Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) is another native species. Deciduous, it drops its leaves in the fall, leaving behind spectacular scarlet berries bunched densely on its branches. The berries persist through the winter, unless picked clean by birds.
Red Twig/Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea, formerly C. stolonifera) is also a native, and loves moist planting situations. Its crimson-colored stems are beautiful, especially when contrasted against a blanket of white snow. This plant grows by stolons and lends itself to mass plantings; you decide how much you want it to spread. There are also yellow-stemmed varieties, but I personally like the red colors better.
Finally, I want to mention Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick; not for any winter color – it has none – but for its dramatic branching habit. Created by grafting onto European filbert (Corylus avellana) rootstock, Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick (C. avellana “contorta”) is an unusual specimen plant, really coming into its own only after it drops its leaves. Then the twisted, corkscrew branches are in full view. According to Gene Sumi, at homesteadgardens.com, this tangled-looking cultivar was named for Scottish vaudeville singer and comedian Sir Harry Lauder (1870-1950), whose signature stage prop was a twisted walking stick.
Sources: Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, by Michael Dirr, and the Missouri Botanical Garden (http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org)
Reminder: The Great Backyard Bird Count begins tomorrow! Information at http://gbbc.birdcount.org/
Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Direct e-mail to pcbaxter@verizon.net, or send mail to P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442. Join the conversation at “Chester County Roots,” a Facebook page for gardeners in the Delaware Valley. Go to Facebook, search for Chester County Roots, and “like” the page. To receive notice of updates, click or hover on “Liked” to set your preferences.
