Witch hazels can bring winter interest to the garden

If you want to have winter interest in your landscape, you might choose plants with showy bark, brightly colored stems, evergreen foliage and persistent berries. Yet, the winter garden does not need to be devoid of flowers. Many witch hazels are at their very best this time of year.

But which witch hazel to choose? It depends on what color you want and when you want it to bloom. Common witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is native to the east coast of North America and blooms yellow October-December. Vernal witchhazel (Hamamelis vernalis) is native to the central and southern U.S. and blooms yellow February-March.

There are also non-native varieties of witch hazel that make great additions to the landscape and can have bright yellow, bronze/red or purple/red flowers flowers. Click here for more information on witch hazels.