It was a beautiful fall day . . .

– Posted in: What's up/blooming
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. . . 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.

About the Author

Kathy Purdy is a colchicum evangelist, converting unsuspecting gardeners into colchicophiles. She gardens in rural upstate NY, which used to be USDA Hardiness Zone 4 but is now Zone 5. Kathy’s been writing since 4th grade, gardening since high school, and blogging since 2002. Find her on Instagram as kopurdy.

When dealing with frost it is always best to be paranoid. In the spring never think it is too late for one more frost to come. And in the fall never think it too early.

~Rundy in Frost

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