Plant pick

  • Wednesday, December 30, 2009 7:32pm
  • Life

WHAT: Chinese witch hazel is a garden classic. In late January and February it is a showcase for short, golden-yellow filamentlike flowers.

WHY PLANT IT: It is the most fragrant of all witch hazels and worth growing for that characteristic alone.

It is disease resistant and easy to grow.

Autumn color makes it a truly multiseasonal shrub. Its leaves turn butter yellow first, then orange and finish scarlet before they fall to the ground.

WHERE: Witch hazels thrive in well-drained, fertile, rich soil in full sun. They also grow well under the bright shade of tall trees or with a half day of sun and a half day of shade.

Provide regular water during summer dry spells, soaking deeply to encourage a deep and extensive root system.

HOW: Pair this plant, also known as hamamelis mollis, with red-stem dogwoods, picea omorika, stewartia pseudocamellia, Ken Janeck rhododendron, black mondo grass and hellebores for an incredible winter garden.

ACTUAL SIZE: Though smaller than some other varieties, this witch hazel reaches about 8 feet high by 8 feet wide in 10 years and up to 12-by-12 at maturity.

LEARN MORE: See www.greatplantpicks.org.

Source: Great Plant Picks

Talk to us

More in Life

A clump of flowering ornamental grass or pennisetum alopecuroides in an autumn garden.
My garden runneth over with fountain grasses, and for good reason

These late-blooming perennials come in many varieties. They work well as accents, groundcovers, edgings or in containers.

Dark gray wheels and black exterior accents provide extra visual appeal for the 2024 Subaru Impreza’s RS trim. (Subaru)
2024 Subaru Impreza loses a little, gains a lot

The brand’s compact car is fully redesigned. A couple of things are gone, but many more have arrived.

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay walks into the Prohibition Grille along Hewitt Avenue in Everett Wednesday Dec. 5, 2012 while reportedly filming an episode of Kitchen Nightmares at the Everett restaurant. (Mark Mulligan / The Herald)
Even more films and TV shows filmed in Snohomish County

Readers point out projects previously missed in this series, from reality television to low-budget indie films.

Daniella Beccaria / for The Herald

15-month-old Kantu attempts to climb a pumpkin at Stocker Farms in Snohomish on Sunday, September 20th, 2015. Stocker Farms offers a U-pick patch, farm animals and a corn maze.
Best pumpkin patch in Snohomish County

You voted, we tallied, here are the results.

A woman diverts from her walk on Colby Avenue to take a closer look at a pickup truck that was partly crushed by a fallen tree during an overnight wind storm Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in north Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / Herald file)
Storm season is coming. Here’s how to prepare for power outages.

The most important action you can take is to make an emergency preparedness kit.

Do you prefer green or red grapes? This antique Moser pitcher is decorated with enameled grapevines on shaded red-to-green glass.
Grapevine pitcher was made by renowned Bohemian company

Also, queries about grandmother’s coffee set and late husband’s Beatles records and memorabilia collection.

The city of Mukilteo is having a naming contest for its new $75,000 RC Mowers R-52, a remote-operated robotic mower. (Submitted photo)
Mukilteo muncher: Name the $75,000 robot mower

The city is having a naming contest for its new sod-slaying, hedge-hogging, forest-clumping, Mr-mow-it-all.

Death of parent with child. Piece of paper with parents and children is torn in half.
Helping children cope with the hard realities of divorce

I’s important to set aside one’s feelings and find a way to make this challenging transition as comfortable for children as you can.

In Belgium, each type of beer has its own glass – whether wide, tall, or fluted – to show off its distinct qualities.
Rick Steves’ Europe: Bruges brews lift a weary traveler’s spirits

The Belgian city is a mecca for beer lovers from around the world.

Most Read