When A Tree Blooms In Autumn

You've got to love it and make sure it's in your garden.

 That's exactly how I felt about Hamamelis virginiana when we met dozens of years ago.

The crepe paper blooms curl open in warm weather

 Truth be told, I can't remember when I planted my first tree, but, I always remember to look for the small spidery flowers sometime in mid-October. You have to get up close and personal to see them because the flowers often bloom before the leaves drop. It's really the only way to appreciate the unusual crepe papery flowers or to smell the flower's sweet honey fragrance.

It would love to be growing in moist well drained soil, but, at Clay and Limestone it's growing beneath the Dancing Tree and several taller oaks. The soil has been improved with compost and mulch, but, I still need to give it a couple of good gulps of water during our extended summer droughts. But, it must be happy, it manages to bloom every October.

Wildlife gardeners love witch hazel for its wildlife value. It's often the last blooming plant found in most woodlands (sometimes in a Middle Tennessee garden, too) and I treasure it for providing nectar and pollen to late visiting pollinators. Some moth caterpillars predate on it and the dispersed seeds are eaten by small rodents.

It really has wonderful qualities that would appeal to every gardener. It can put on a colorful fall show in shade. It's a delightful specimen plant for small gardens with spring ephemerals, native sedges, ferns and shade tolerant perennials planted at its feet.

I think that you will appreciate all of witch hazel's wonderful qualities, but, like me, grow it for its sweet blooms and their gentle fragrance.

xoxogail

PS.  It's Monday and you know the drill! If you want to have pollinators visit and live in your garden, you must never, ever, ever, ever use pesticides.


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.