January 2016 GBBD

There's usually only one plant blooming in my garden in the middle of January and it's the dazzling Ozark witch hazel. It's blooming right now. I planted it in 2008 to memorialize my mother. (The Memory Tree) It's a lovely tree that all must pass on the way to the front door.

A few years later I planted three more to create a small witch hazel grove in the Garden of Benign Neglect. The long dry summer was hard on them and bud set was low, but, there will be a few blooms later this month.

The original Hamamelis vernalis arrived as a memorial gift from several dear friends who knew me well and asked me what native tree I might want! I knew immediately that winter blooming witch hazel was the perfect choice.

It probably seems odd to choose a plant with witch in its name to honor my mother, but, it was a loving acknowledgement of her late bloom into a joy filled life. Ozark witch hazel blooms in the late winter and that was how it was with my mother. She bloomed in the winter of her life. She sold her house, let go of her old life and moved into a retirement village where she quickly made new friends and tried new activities. Her schedule was full and so was her life. When we phoned her she was often too busy to chat. We were all thrilled when Mom bloomed!

Hamamelis vernalis blooms in the winter when we have just about given up hope that spring will ever arrive. On warm days those amazing orange/yellow/reddish crepe paper petals unfurl to perfume the garden with their sweet vanilla scent. When the temperatures drop they furl back up with the promise of weeks of blossoming.

Their spidery blooms always make me smile. I think my mother would have laughed at my naming that first little Ozark witch hazel after her.  In case you wondered, I call it Bernice.

Happy Garden Bloggers Bloom Day
xoxogail

Now make this garden blogger smile again and pop over to May Dreams Gardens, where our delightful hostess, Carol, has set up the Mr. Linky magic carpet ride to take you to more Bloom Day posts than you can imagine.  Even in winter!

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.