Are there any late blooming shrubs for the landscape? What about witchhazel?
For a late-season blooming plant, consider common witchhazel. Hamamelis is the genus for witchhazels, and in Latin means “together with fruit” as the plant bears flowers and ripened seed capsules from the previous bloom at the same time. The common name “witch” was transliterated from the word “wych,” meaning pliable or flexible. Early settlers used branches of witchhazel as divining rods to dowse for water. Cultivated witchhazels are desirable small trees or shrubs and are especially valued for their unusual seasons of bloom. Hamamelis virginiana the common witchhazel, is the hardiest of the species. The other species are late winter bloomers, some beginning in late January and some extending into mid-March. Hamamelis vernalis is the vernal or Ozark witchhazel, considered second in hardiness. H. x intermedia is a cross between H. japonica and H. mollis, and are very hardy plants; many cultivars have become available because of this cross. Because they are large plants, witchhazels can
