It was a beautiful fall day . . .

October 12th, 2003 by Kathy Purdy · No Comments

. . . so I went for a walk. We went for a walk, I should say. The six youngest children plus my dear husband, to be precise. I wanted to see if the witch hazels were blooming. The first time Ivan took me up the hill to see them, he brought me in front of one magnificent specimen, and it looked like a bare-branched tree full of golden snowflakes. I was dazzled. Now I like to go up the hill every year, on a sunny autumn day, to see if I can find that magic tree again.

Much to my surprise, the witch hazels weren’t blooming much yet. I’ll have to go back in about a week and check again. With the generous supply of moisture, I hope there will be a good display. The witch hazel native to our area, Hamamelis virginiana, is one of the hardiest species. Other witch hazels bloom in the very late winter/earliest spring, but they are not as hardy. Maybe one day I will try one.

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About Kathy Purdy

Kathy Purdy discovered the joys of writing in fourth grade, when she started corresponding with a former classmate. She's been writing letters ever since, first on looseleaf, then electronically, and now as weblog entries. That makes you, the blog reader, her pen pal. Her first independent (though frustrating) attempts at gardening were made in high school, though the gardening bug didn't bite hard until her mid-thirties, when she found herself mistress of a rural home on 15 acres. • USDA Hardiness Zone:4 • AHS Heat Zone: 3 • Location: rural; Southern Tier of NY • Geographic type: foothills of Appalachian Mountains • Soil Type: acid clay • Experience level: intermediate • Particular interests: colchicums, narcissus, cottage gardening, NY native plants, gardening with/for children