As a follow-up to my prior post (http://heirloomgardener.blogspot.com/2007/12/common-witchhazel-blooming-in-december.html), this week's "In the Garden" section of the New York Times featured an article singing the praises of witch hazels, provides useful information about different cultivars, and lists three nurseries that carry a broad selection of them: Fairweather Gardens in Greenwich, NJ; RareFind Nursery in Jackson, NJ; and Broken Arrow Nursery in Hamden, CT.
Anne Raver writes: "Sunny, warm days in midwinter always send me in search of fragrant witch hazels, those graceful shrubs that unfurl their crinkled, confetti-like flowers from January to March." For the full article, including some great photographs by Andrea Mohin, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/garden/14garden.html?ex=1360731600&en=cf0cacc8f115ae37&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
Friday, February 15, 2008
Witch Hazel: Winter's Cheerleader, Yelling for Spring
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6 comments:
Glad you posted this, and the link to the Times story...I love witch hazels, and I can see that I'm going to HAVE to get Jelena..a bewitching witch, indeed!
So glad that Ms. Raven is back on board with the real gardening columns, it's been a dry spell. We have the cultivar 'Diane', shown in the article. It is a slow grower but truly lovely. More need to be added and they are sometimes hard to find.
Frances at Faire Garden
"Cheerleader for spring"--what an apt description for this lovely plant. Each year I decide on a specific shrub I'd like to add to my garden (i.e., based on the actual characteristics of the plant itself, not that fact that it's on sale or received as a trade or gift), and this year it's witch hazel!
I have a photo of a lovely one here.
Monica
I vividly remember visiting the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in February over ten years ago. The witch hazels were in full bloom on a chilly, brilliantly sunny day. I ordered Jelena and Arnold Promise from Fairweather Gardens last spring, and though they're still quite small, they are beginning to blossom in my 6b garden. I recommend picking up plants at Fairweather Gardens on one of their open days. They're in southern New Jersey in Greenwich, a beautiful old 18th century village that used to be a seaport (the sea has moved about three miles away now, so Greenwich is firmly landlocked). It's a beautiful area to explore after you pick up your plants.
I always enjoy seeing your header picture! It is so pretty.
Any idea if the Vernalis Sandra from Broken Arrow Nursery would survive in the St. Paul MN climate?
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