Plant Talk

Petal & Twig in the Sunday Seattle Times - and a Party Invitation

I'm thanking my editors at Pacific Northwest mag for printing an excerpt of my new book in today's Seattle Times. Check it out here for a first look at photos and text from petal & twig and to learn about simple, unintimidating, easy and fun flower arranging from the garden in every season. Yes, even in January; see witch hazel 'Jelena' below, in full, fragrant bloom today in my Langley garden. 

The story includes an invitation to the launch party for the new book this coming Wed night Feb 1, a benefit for the Miller Library - hope to see you there....also, today's issue of Pacific has a sneak preview of the brand new 2012 Great Plant Pick choices....

 

Winter Comforts - Fragrant Orange Witch Hazel and A Ripple of Violet Sunset

  It was 27 degrees in Langley yesterday morning, but my orange witch hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena') had burst into full and glorious bloom during the week I'd been away. It was so cold the buds were contracted and the blossoms scentless, but cut, plunged into warm water and brought into the house, they soon enough plumped up and exuded their clean, sweetly astringent fragrance that's so precious on a deep winter day.

Then last night, the sunset glowed amazingly hot pink and purple, with a raft of clouds lit from below in light that changed from peachy-pink through searing magenta to violet and blue-black....what comfort the beauty of flowers and sky can be in mid-January.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Soggy January Garden Offers Up Bouquets from Casual to Elegant

Not much more than witch hazel is in bloom out there on these dark and soggy days, but it's surprising how much mileage you can get out of its curious little fragrant flowers and stiff branches. Really, witch hazel is better in a vase than in the ground, for out in the landscape the blossoms can almost disappear, and all you see is the gangly vase-shape of the shrub itself. Indoors, close up, the flowers are intriguing, with their spidery filaments and sweetly clean, astringent scent.

 While a modern metallic vase might seem an odd choice to hold such rustic looking branches, I like how  its slim, shiny sweep glams up the matte of the bark and dark flowers.  The metal's silver sheen shows off the copper color of the Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena' flowers. While these darker witch hazels aren't as cheery in the garden as the more common yellow-bloomers, up close their flower color is so unusual. The bottle is by Kirkland artist Deloss Webber.

In the kitchen, I've mixed sprigs of the same witch hazel (I only have room for a single one in my garden) with heart-shaped cyclamen leaves, pine, camellia leaves, and hellebore buds in a little white vase designed to hold a bunch of single stems. A Christmas gift from my friend Richard Hartlage, I can't wait to display tiny spring treasures like anemones, crocus and dwarf narcissus in this favorite new vase...but for now, it's pretty much witch hazel...

The Garden Is In Bloom Out There Despite Freezes, Rain and Wind

My dog Bridget would rather curl up on the couch than go outdoors on these wet and windy days. After last week's freezing temperatures, and this week's record rainfalls, you wouldn't expect our plants to be showing much more enthusiasm than Bridget.

But when I ducked out yesterday between rainstorms to sweep up and look for something to cut for a bouquet, I was amazed to find my copper-colored witch hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena') in full bloom - I'd expected it to be slowed down by those mid-20 temps a week ago. And while the hybrid hellebores are still in tight bud, the silver-leafed Corsican hellebore is opening its pretty litte green flowers....

This time of year you have to look closely to find what's in bloom but it's worth it - the garden is in full January flower, with more hellebores, snowdrops, sarcococca and even daphne not far behind. The lure of flowers fresh from the garden, so prized on a winter's day, won't get Bridget off the couch, but hopefully it'll stir you to go outdoors and find out what's going on in your garden.

'Jelena' is a cross with a Chinese witch hazel parent, which means it has a strong sweet/astringent scent, especially when cut and brought into a warm room.

Helleborus argutifolius 'Silver Lace', with soft green blossoms centered in chartreuse stamen, is an early bloomer with jagged, silvery green leaves.

Witch Hazel Magic in Waterfall Garden Park

The heavenly, astringent scent of witch hazel is a no-fail anitdote to winter blues. If you get within a block of Waterfall Garden Park in Pioneer Square, you'll catch the fragrance of a magnificent specimen in full, bright yellow bloom.

What a sight, right in the middle of town. Outside the garden walls, all is  winter;  inside is flower and perfume. This is the magic of witch hazels. I suspect the one blooming in Waterfall Park is Hamalis X intermedia 'Pallida', which is an especially early bloomer, and richly fragrant due to its Chinese witch hazel parentage.  

Witch hazels are small trees or large shrubs. They bloom best in full sun, and need good drainage and plenty of room to stretch out to their full, vase-shaped breadth. You have to plant at least one to cut and bring inside in winter; they force easily and the spidery little flowers are best viewed close-up.  If you have more space, plant witch hazels as part of a mixed hedgerow, or against an evergreen backdrop, or espalier them against a wall - you can see this treatment, that controls their size and makes the most of the flowers, along the NHS Hall at the Center for Urban Horticulture (3501 NE 41st St.).

In the meantime, the sight and smell of this witch hazel alone is worth a trip down to Waterfall Garden Park, located at 219 2nd Avenue South in Pioneer Square.

 

 

Before the Deluge

It's hard to remember, but before the rains set in, the sun made a brief December appearance. It coaxed me outside with my camera to capture the garden in this, the darkest month. Not even winter staples like sarcococca, hellebores and witch hazel are blooming yet, and that freezing November blast withered the buds on the Camellia sasanqua. It's time to rely on a garden's hardscape and furnishings for structure, color, and views from the windows - this is especially true in a garden as small as mine, without much room for evergreens....

Adirondacks hold the promise and memory of relaxing summer days. These two are made from recycled plastic, so stay bright, clean and unfaded through the worst winter weather.

Glass and ceramic spheres and a translucent moon almost make up for the lack of leaves on a Japanese maple....well, at least they bring some color, interest and shape to the pot during the winter months.

I love this birdhouse (from DIG Nursery on Vashon Island) hanging from the now-bare branches of the centerpiece tree in my garden, Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'. I try to forget my neighbor's comment that it looks like an avocado!

While the vivid orange of this bistro table might look a little....obvious.... in summertime, in winter the color is a fine distraction from the sad looking 'Annabelle' hydrangeas behind it...right outside the French doors, that heart-warming orange serves as cheerful foreground to the winter garden...

Witch hazels

I really don't have the space for a witch hazel, but I had to plant at least one. Not for the garden, but for the house; I can't imagine getting through January without the pleasure of bringing branches of their spidery, fragrant flowers indoors.

The supremely fragrant yellow flowers of the Chinese witch hazels, like Hamamelis mollis 'Pallida' and H. x intermedia 'Arnold's Promise' show up best in the garden. While they disappear in the bare winter garden, the rusty orange flowers of  H. x intermedia 'Diane' are stunning cut and brought into the house. 'Diane' has a Chinese parent, so is sweetly fragrant. In autumn, the foliage turns dramatic shades of orange and purple.

Right now 'Diane' is in full, glorious, coppery bloom. For an elegant arrangement,  just stick a few branches in a sturdy vase...cut and enjoy....

If your witch hazel isn't large enough yet to cut whole branches, even a few twigs can make a lovely arrangement combined with a hellebore bud in a little crystal vase....