A few months ago, friends asked me to choose a Memory Tree for my mom. I knew immediately which tree it would be. Witchhazel!
There were a few chuckles from family members. But, my choice of a Witch-hazel wasn't an attempt to be ironic. It was just the perfect tree.
H vernalis, also known as Ozark Witchhazel, blooms in the late winter. That is how it was with my mother. She bloomed in the winter of her life. Later then we all wished for her...but she bloomed. At the age of 82 she sold her house, let go of her old life and moved into a retirement village. 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 for her! Mom bloomed!
It's the perfect tree to commemorate her.
My mother's tree is small right now, but it will grow to be a lovely understory tree.
I placed it near the path to the porch entrance. Everyone who visits can see it....
especially with the marker from my friend Tina (In The Garden).
I placed it near the path to the porch entrance. Everyone who visits can see it....
especially with the marker from my friend Tina (In The Garden). "Why Bernice, xxoo?", you might be wondering? My sisters and I always referred to her as Bernice. As in, "Have you heard what Bernice did today!" The hugs and kisses were a part of every card or letter she sent me from the time I left home to go to college until she passed away. She never forgot how much they meant to me.
This fall the leaves of her Witchhazel will turn a lovely golden yellow.
Later, it will flower and scent the garden with a sweet fragrance. I was surprised to find buds along all the stems, so I know it will flower this year.
Next winter there will be even more blooms and fragrance. Visitors will notice it as they walk to the porch.
H vernalis blooms when little else is blooming. It has small spidery flowers on the bare gray branches that could begin blooming as early as December or later. The flowers are yellow or reddish.
It has been said, that each tree's flowers are a bit different; so we will see what this little tree brings us. What ever color it is, the blooms will last for 3 to 4 weeks. If the temperatures dip and we have a frost, the petals will fold up for protection. What a wonderful survival behavior.
Can you imagine fragrance and flowers in the garden in the middle of winter? So nice! Now imagine a sweet little tree, blooming it's head off in a snow covered landscape! Even nicer! So Zone 4 and 5 gardeners, take note, you can grow Witchhazel.
Clay and Limestone's Hazels
The horticultural name hamamelis, means "together with fruit". The fruit, flowers, and next year's leaf buds all appear on the branch simultaneously, a rarity among trees. (Wikipedia) The hard woody, 1/2" long fruit capsules splits down a 2-parted tip in September or October. The seeds are forced or 'shot-out' to a distance of 30'! People have heard the pop, but I haven't! My hope is that they sprout in my wildflower garden! I do like this tree.
H vernalis, and Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane' and
H virginiana live at Clay and Limestone. While it is reported that they all prefer moist, slightly acid soil, they will tolerate clay! It is not unusual to find the Witchhazels near stream beds. I do keep them watered during our driest months. I lost two 20 foot trees in the drought of 2007 and don't want that to happen again.
H virginiana will bloom this fall
with sweet yellow flowers. If you look closely at the above photo, you can see that the buds look like they are getting ready to open! We will have flowers and fragrance very soon.
H vernalis, and Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane' and
H virginiana live at Clay and Limestone. While it is reported that they all prefer moist, slightly acid soil, they will tolerate clay! It is not unusual to find the Witchhazels near stream beds. I do keep them watered during our driest months. I lost two 20 foot trees in the drought of 2007 and don't want that to happen again. H virginiana will bloom this fall
with sweet yellow flowers. If you look closely at the above photo, you can see that the buds look like they are getting ready to open! We will have flowers and fragrance very soon.
I am not completely sure when H vernalis will bloom, since this is its first winter in the garden. It could be in December or as late as February.
Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane' - will bloom on a similar schedule. She is the showiest of my Witch-hazels.
Her flowers are coppery-red to bronzed-red (this photo is from the Missouri Botanical Garden) and mildly fragrant. There is one problem with this particular Witchhazel... the dead foliage persists on the branches in winter. I will have to remove the browned leaves in order to see the pretty bloom!
I prune Diane to keep her fantastic vase shape. To keep Witchhazel's growth in check in smaller gardens or to keep it from suckering you may have to prune. There is nothing wrong with letting the Hazels sucker. H virginiana (below) has begun to sucker...but I haven't decided if I want to prune out the suckering stems yet.
They can grow to make make a nice hedge or screen if you have the space.
It may be pushing it to say that witch hazel is a tree with total year round interest. There are some bare times! But, here is what you get: a unique small tree/shrub with fragrant, attractive flowers from late winter into early spring, when little else is blooming in the landscape. The pleasant green leaves of summer are a nice change of pace from the lance shaped or little leaves that often proliferate in the garden.
Then each fall the show begins, golden yellow 
to orange leaves 
that light up the shade.
Not bad.
to orange leaves 
that light up the shade.
Not bad. If you garden in a rural area, you may even have turkeys or grouse visit the trees for the seeds and flowers.
All in all, a very nice tree and the perfect Memory Tree for my mom. Thank you Joanne, Joan and Mary Helen. Thank you, Tina for the marker.
Hugs and Kisses for you, Mom.
Gail
"What we have once enjoyed we can never lose.
All that we love deeply becomes a part of us."
Helen Keller
