Fragrant Spring gold in the nursery! Triple Oaks Nursery and Herb Garden in Franklinville, New Jersey

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Fragrant Spring gold in the nursery!
posted on: February 28 2009

If you see a bright yellow shrub in the landscape now, chances are it is a witch hazel, a winter sweet or a winter jasmine. All three are in bloom, despite the cold temperatures and gray days.
If it smells wonderfully sweet and fragrant when warmed by the sun it is either a winter sweet or 'Arnold Promise’ a witch hazel, which has clear yellow, fragrant flowers with a reddish base
I love Arnold promise witch hazel so much my son Joe and nephew John brought a huge one into the Philadelphia flower show one year to where I was doing a presentation on fragrant plants. Talk about a ‘show stopper ’!
When i was a kid at 4-H camp in Stokes State forest I had my first encounter with a native witch hazel .We made little dust brooms by peeling layers back on a small branch of 1 –2 inch in caliber and 12 inches long. Many folks think of witch hazel as an astringent to apply to wounds. It was used by the North American Indians as a poultice for painful swellings, tumors, and many other ailments and is still found on the shelves of the pharmacy.
The native species Hamamelis virginiana is usually found in the woods and has rather nondescript fragrant yellow blossoms. Often this one is blooming in winter and brings forth a thought the plant has its seasons mixed up. I like the hybrid varieties that bloom with intense flowers of brighter color that are found now in local gardens and nurseries.
To really get to know all about the witch hazels and their culture I would suggest going to the Dirr Manuel of Woody Landscape Plants. Michael Dirr has become one of the most respected authorities on trees and Shrubs in the horticulture world.
Dirr says, “Why witch hazels (Hamamelis) are not more widely grown is a mystery to me. These lovely, maintenance-free, and adaptable plants provide brilliant flower and leaf color at otherwise colorless times of year. And the sweet, penetrating fragrance of some flowers is a bonus.”
The witch hazel is a small tree belonging to the plant family Hamamelidaceae and related to the sweet gum. They sometimes grow under larger trees in woods since they are rarely more then 9-11 feet high. Best soil for them is one that is well drained, evenly moist, and slightly acidic. Integrating organic matter into the soil at planting time produces ideal conditions. Likewise, full sun is ideal in woodsy soil, but they can tolerate a considerable amount of shade.
Their scallop-edged leaves turn brilliant yellow in the fall and are arranged alternatively on zigzagging branches. Mother nature engineered this so that each leaf would have maximum exposure to the sun filtering through the trees. The flowers have long strap-like petals that actually may curl up in a bud when the temperatures drop and unfurl on warm sunny days. This is a fantastic adaptation that protects the nectar and pollen so that the insects out on warmer days may find it. Witch hazel
Many hybrid varieties of Hamamelis produce striking blooms with enchanting scent in the early spring. The blooms often look like sunny hued ribbons coming from buds along bare branches. They can be used to add color and fragrance to a garden during the winter months. The leaves also offer spectacular color in autumn. Invite Arnold to your garden now.

A relative of these is the winter hazel (corylopsis). A member of the witch-hazel family this fragrant plant is often called a precocious bloomer because of its early bloom time. It is tough! I favor it planted in natural boarders or in front of evergreen trees, although it can also be given a specimens spot of honor in any landscape.
A small shrub, after many years it will reach 8 to 10 feet, but it can also be kept cut back as long trimming is done as the flowers fade. Or, better yet, prune during the flowering season, using the cut branches for floral arrangements or in a pretty vase or bottle where you can enjoy the fragrance. Since this shrub looks so good in its natural style most gardeners do not cut it back, but rather let it grow naturally and gracefully into a beautiful specimen.
Fragrant winter sweet is another plant that defies the season. True to its name the most fragrant of flowering
Shrubs, winter sweet is in bloom. We pick bunches both for our house and to put in the cooler for later use. Like other early bloomers it is easy to force indoors and begins to bloom when cut and placed in a vase of water. (Forsythia, apple or pear blossoms, spiral and other branchy shrubs all respond to forcing). .
This little used and little known plant is a real favorite of mine. A delightful native of china that has been here since the 1700’s, its true name is Chimonanthus praecox.
Up until about 15 years ago I had never smelled this plant or seen it bloom. Then one January day when I attended an herb garden committee meeting at the National Herb Garden in Washington D C, I noticed that there was beautiful bouquet of pale yellow blooms on the lunch table. The blooms looked like peach blossoms, but they were yellow not pink and so very fragrant that a sweet smell permeated the whole room. From that moment on I wanted that plant for my garden.
Following the lunch, Jim Adams, then curator of the garden took us all out for a winter walk in the herb garden Well, imagine my thrill when I saw this little tree (the size of a small dogwood or crab apple that was in full, fragrant bloom. I never stopped talking about the plant all the way home My husband Ted said that he had ordered some cuttings from Holland years back. Seems we had forgotten about them as they grew over the years. Since they were in the unheated “hoop house” they often bloomed in late December or January but we never saw them. Later our son Teddy took them to his nursery in Greenwich.
Eventually Teddy gave me one for my birthday and we planted it. The winter sweet is now a wonderful blooming size and makes the whole area fragrant on warm days.
. According to Dr. Michael Dirr in the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants it can be hardy as far north as zone 6. A very beautiful specimen can be seen in the arboretum at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.
The plant grows to be about 10-15 feet high and about half that in width. It is a fairly slow grower, and will do best if given a sunny to part shade place where it has good, but well drained soil.
The light yellow blooms come on old wood, so any pruning needs to be done early, as old blooms fade. Any new growth early in a season will bloom next year. They are very beautiful when in bloom, but need to be planted near a walkway or driveway so their fragrance can be appreciated on winter days.
I think that the reason that most people don’t know this plant is that when it is in bloom many nurseries are not even open or at least don’t have a display out. Often it’s cold and snowy. For that reason, it is not often seen in gardens in N J.
Email Lorraine with garden questions at Lorraine@Tripleoaks.com (aol address is no longer effective) www.tripleoaks.com, see calendar for spring classes.