Spring still seems a long way off (last frost date for St. Louis is April 7th this year, according to the Farmer’s Almanac) but remember some plants flower in winter and early spring. If you are like me you can’t hardly wait for warmer temperatures and for plants to wake up from winter dormancy. Witch hazels are a welcome flash of color and scent in the winter landscape that will help the antsy gardener hold over until spring. You can find the U.S. native Hamamelis vernalis planted at Pershing School. These shrubs tend to hold onto their leaves and the flowers are smaller than other Hamamelis, but they are very fragrant. They sometimes flower as early as January. I believe the witch hazels in other U City in Bloom gardens are Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold’s Promise’. Look for them in Lewis Park, U City High School, City Hall, and Heman Park at the corner of Midland and Vernon. These shrubs tend to bloom later than our native species, but if we have enough warm days or if they are planted in a warm microclimate they can bloom in January as well. If you want a good look at and sniff of many different species and cultivars of Hamamelis a trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden is a must. If you go to the garden on a warm, sunny day when the Witch hazels are blooming you can watch all the bees and flies that use these shrubs for nectar and pollen. Remember to look out for bees before going in to smell flowers! One of my favorite Hamamelis is in the Woodland Garden, Hamamelis mollis ‘Wisley Supreme’ .The flower petals are long, showy and bright yellow. Their fragrance is oh so lovely, I wish I had it as a perfume. Two ‘Wisley Supreme’s were planted in the beds at Julia Goldstein Early Education Center last spring. Go out and enjoy Witch hazels while they are flowering and try to shake off the winter blues!
