Home of the Practically Perfect Pink Phlox and other native plants for pollinators

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

January 2014: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

Welcome to Clay and Limestone's very small GBBD!  I am thankful that the delicate flowers of Hamamelis vernalis began to bloom a few days ago.

Ozark witch hazel's flowers are an unusual orange/yellow/reddish color with four crepe paper streaming petals that unfurl as the day warms and furl back up when the temperature drops. This is a marvelous adaptive behavior that insures that the spidery blooms will survive the fluctuating winter weather and be in bloom for almost two months. A plant like that needs to be in every garden! (I've written about them before: Must Bee The Season Of The Witch) 
They smell of spicy vanilla and on warm days perfume the garden. I planted them for their fragrance, their late winter bloom and for their marvelous fall color.
When they begin blooming, I know that Spring can't be far behind...

xoxogail

 
Inspired by the words of Elizabeth Lawrence, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year,” Carol of May Dreams Gardens started Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. On the 15th of every month, garden bloggers from all over the blogosphere celebrate their blooms, so pop on over to Carol's and take the Mr Linky magic carpet ride to see what's blooming.
Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

18 comments:

  1. They are amazing looking blooms. A lovely sign of an approaching Spring.

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  2. Oh yes! Spring is coming!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
    Lea

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  3. Someday! Someday I am going to get a witch hazel!

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  4. I agree with Pat--someday I am going to have a witch hazel! I've always admired these spidery blooms; how nice they cooperated just in time for this Bloom Day!

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  5. Scented winter blooms are such a bonus. Glad your witch hazel opened its buds for bloomday.

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  6. If you have anything outdoors blooming at this time of year, you get extra credit!

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  7. Happy Bloom Day Gail! I would love to smell that witch hazel some day.

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  8. I'm so jealous...that's one plant I dearly wish I had room for...sigh...maybe in my next garden, right ;-)

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  9. I've yet to find a witch hazel that's suitable to my climate zone, which is too bad as it's an admirable plant. Happy GBBD!

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  10. Gosh, you are going to make me go outside to see if mine is blooming. I don't think so, not until later. I always want to touch these blooms. Happy GBBD.

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  11. No one captures their magic on camera better than you do, Gail. I don't have any in my garden, but they're around here and bloom a little later in the season. Incredible and unique beauties, aren't they? Happy Bloom Day!

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  12. I really need to add this species of witch hazel to my garden... Happy Bloom Day!

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  13. Such delicate, fragrant jewels for the January garden. Spring can't be far off. Counting down the days.

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  14. They way they open and close reminds me of birthday party horns.Happy GBBD to you.

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  15. They are stunning, is it true that I can smell them from here...no, must just be a fragrant memory.

    I miss them, and am going to have to see if they grow up here.

    Jen

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  16. Over and over again, I think to myself "Wow, I really need witchhazel in my garden". But I never manage to find a spot to put one!

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"Insects are the little things that run the world." Dr. E O Wilson