Pining for Spring #2 ~ handmade home

Thứ Năm, 23 tháng 2, 2012

Pining for Spring #2

Unknown Pining for Spring #2 No comments

Nothing much prettier than Prunus avium 'plena' against the blue spring sky

I'm continuing on a theme I established a couple days ago... put simply, I'm suffering from spring fever! As noted earlier, it's much too early for this malady to be taking place. Certainly all that snow we were supposed to get today through tomorrow should help get things in order, but it went south of us. Then there is the big blast and snow due on Sunday... looks like it's going north of us. The creatures of the earth and the foul of the air aren't helping much either. Flocks of geese flying north and robins about simply add to the ailment. I even have the beginnings of color in the gardens. Two varieties of witch hazels (Hamamelis selections) are now showing color in the rockery. It's definitely a bit on the early side for them despite the fact that it's not at all uncommon for them to bloom in late winter. There are actually about 100 cultivars of witch hazel, but based on my research, the two varieties I chose are considered among the best. The first is 'Arnold Promise' which was introduced by Arnold Arboretum forty years ago. This is considered a later bloomer and it's definitely a bit behind my second cultivar 'Jelena'.

Witch hazels are considered difficult in this area because of a preference for acid soil and they don't care for harsh winters... no problem there this year! The second cultivar that I'm growing is 'Jelena'. This comes out of Belgium and carries a slight fragrance in the blooms. It is also known for excellent fall color which is orange-red. The following two photos of Jelena are from today and unless we get hit with severe weather, the copper-orange blooms should extend to about an inch. These plants can achieve a height and width of 15 feet. I planted them in the rockery to provide shade for the area in the future. Because they are somewhat 'contained' root-wise, it will be interesting to see how they develop. I have noted that Song Sparrow Nursery is carrying three varieties with rose, lavender-purple, and lavender-rose colored blooms as described in their catalog. These might be worth a try, although I have to be particularly careful where I site these plants as the rabbits are very fond of them.