Winter's over--witch hazel in bloom

17 years ago

The first flowers of my 'Arnold Promise' witch hazel always signal the end of winter to me. Today I see the first flowers open on this--a good two weeks later than usual. I guess the weird weather confused it. Only once before has it taken til March to open and that was after the winter of bitter cold a couple of years ago. Anyway, the earlier sunrises and later sunsets and the forthcoming Boston flower show have ended winter for me, no matter what the weather might bring in the next month or so.

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Comments (9)

diggingthedirt
17 years ago
Hi Ginny - Isn't Arnold wonderful? Mine started blooming, just barely, before the intense cold set in here, but it's really in full swing now. My other Hamamelis, Diane and Jelena, are just about done, they're quite a bit earlier than Arnold and don't always signal the end of winter for that reason.

I'm checking around to see which plants that were blooming before the big chill set in were decimated by the cold and which ones bounced back. Snowdrops, witch hazel, heaths and hellebores look fine, but winter jasmine (Jasminium nudiflorum) flowers are mush. Maybe it'll put out more flowers and give a second show, I'll keep checking.
dayleann
17 years ago
My daughter and I were getting worried-- the weather had been so mild we were afraid things would start waking up and then get winter-damage. Things changed just in time, though. At least we hope so. And at least the snowcover will protect the plants now. Ha, I can't see the top of any plant under 4 feet tall! My bird feeders are barely clearing the top of the snow.

Dayle Ann

Dayle Ann
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"it is definitely a spring bloomer-I checked my tag. Its the red bloom variety" What else does the tag say? Sure it's a native and not an intermedia? Diane or Jalena? They should be much showier than the native which should be expected to be beautiful but understated. Try to check out some vernalis in situ to really appreciate what the native form is like. The native vernalis has a red form I know of called "amathyst". They are very pretty but unassuming. Blooms are very red/purple. Most witchhazel blloms appear more profuse on hotter, sunnier days and sort of retract at night and on cold, overcast days. You've had it just one season and moved it. Maybe give it more time and it will grow on you?
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My Diane has about 5 years in my garden and was a decent sized shrub (maybe 3'x3') when I planted it. It tends to grow a bit wider than tall - Chris Lane in his book on witch hazels gives its ultimate size as 2.5m tall x 3m wide. However, I'm at the northern edge of the range for H. x intermedia cultivars, so I don't expect that it will ever reach that. I am grateful for the snow cover since it helps with protection on those cold winter nights. Mine has grown slowly and since we still have about 3 1/2 to 5 feet on the ground (depending on the drifting) it is still buried. (My shorter compost pile is also completely buried, and last week when I mistakenly stepped off the path I've packed out to the compost I instantly sank to my hip and had a hard time getting free . . . we are still in full winter mode for a few weeks.) From what I read, neither Diane nor Arnold Promise are especially early bloomers when compared to other witch hazels though they are compared to almost any other woody plant in this area. I think the appeal of AP is the scent and the bright, relatively large flowers, while the deep red-orange color is the appeal of Diane. I would love to have an AP or an Angelly or one of the other scented, yellow, large-flowered H. x intermedia, but Diane is the only one I've ever seen around here, and mail order ones are so small.
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babs, I seem to like both the yellows and the reds so I will have to take a look at that 'Diane'. I haven't seen any of these in a garden setting, only in photos. I hope you have good luck with yours this winter..and maybe you will post a photo in the spring when it blooms? :-) dtd...What a shame that the suckering spoils the effect. One of the qualities I like about the witch hazel, is the form. The bloom and the fall foliage alone is something you can probably find in other shrubs, but I have seen a number of photos of WHazels that have a wonderful form. Of course, I was assuming that some pruning was involved to do that, but I didn't realize they sucker that badly. I think it would make me unhappy if it suckered that much. For instance, on crabtrees that have a lot of suckering at the base. I really want to see that single, attractive trunk and the suckering at the base just spoils it for me. So, when you say 'ask about the rootstock', are you saying that the particular shrubs you bought from forestfarm were the problem and that some nurseries might sell some that won't sucker? Can I ask, what is your favorite aspect of having a Witch Hazel in your garden and if you gave it away would you really miss it? Thank you both.. :-) pm2
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No problem, Paula; glad you have an appreciation for my hijacking of your thread. You posted the following: "Indeed, you've been a member since 2001, what took you so friggin' long to decide to leave if you hate us so much. All of 34 eh? Your lack of wisdom unattained as yet is evident." Clearly you lack the intelligence to read and then understand what I wrote in my posts. Who do I hate, Paula? It's a fact that many Americans abroad make their presence known in a crass fashion. Saying that doesn't mean I hate all of you. As I said, some of my closest friends are American. Why have you asked why it's taken me so long to leave? Are you that stupid, Paula? I would have thought that it's obvious that my decision was swayed by the bull**** written by bboy and his self-belief that he actually knows what he's talking about. Yep, I'm 34 years old; can one not have wisdom at that age? I know plenty of much older people who are not wise. You know very little about me, so by making that judgement, it may well be YOU who has picked up no wisdom along the way, otherwise you would know better than to say such a thing. Amazing that you can judge based on a few posts. You must be a magician. One more thing, Paula, just to make sure my posts have the same consistent tone..... fcuk off with the other two morons who have replied to me. Offensive enough for you?
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cjsmith
17 years ago
I have a crocus in bloom....just one lone flower. And one other bud. And that's it.
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17 years ago
Today we found the first snowdrops in bloom under an azalea shrub! Yeah!

~ Hilda
Sue W (CT zone 6a)
17 years ago
Arnold is blooming here too. I'm not sure when it started but it had to be within the past couple of days. It won't be long now...

Sue
diggingthedirt
17 years ago
Winter Aconite is blooming now too - first year for it in my garden and it's really nice - time to get the camera out.
diggerdee zone 6 CT
17 years ago
I have only a few snowdrops in bloom, and I don't know if these are the same that were in bloom in November, ridiculously early.

I often have crocus by the second week of February, but no go this year. I'm really hoping something - anything! - pops up soon.

:)
Dee
ginny12
Original Author
17 years ago
Most of the ground here is under several inches of frozen snow/ice so I don't know what's going on with my bulbs that had started to come up during that long warm spell. Nothing had bloomed for me yet. I just have Arnold Promise right now, but that's enough.
chelone
17 years ago
I was lookin' at my "Diane" today and noted it was getting ready to open... . Next warm spell, IF the plunge on Tuesday doesn't zap it completely.

Winter's over--witch hazel in bloom

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diggingthedirt

dayleann

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Winter's over--witch hazel in bloom

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