Cornus mas, the Cornelian cherry, is really a dogwood…and always the first shrub to bloom for me. Gossler Farms (find them in my source list) has both a gold-leaf version (which is what I grow) and a variegated-leaf one (which is what I covet).
my new book!
as seen in
Juicy Bits
name that weed I KNOW A LOT OF PLANTS by their proper names, but my “weeds,” not so much. These great weed-identification websites are helping me finally address them with the proper (dis)respect.
everything old is new VINTAGE 'GREEN' POSTERS from the WPA 1940s look fresher than ever.
shrubs to covet THE OLDER THE GARDEN and I get, the more we love these shrubs.
plants that perform 21 POWERHOUSE PERENNIALS you will love for your garden.
herb-garden help GROWING AND STORING a year of parsley.
berry peachy-keen CLAFOUTIS BATTER how-to (the solution for easy fruit desserts).
rex, rhizomatous and more FANCY-LEAF BEGONIAS, beauties for indoors and out.
crispy refrigerator pickles WHAT IS IT ABOUT refrigerator pickles that makes everybody so happy? Get those cukes ready!
winged victory THE GARDEN as bird habitat: 11 tips on what birds like.
keeping deer out DEER FENCE: I tried every anti-deer potion and trick till I got real and fenced. Strategies for every garden.
secrets to great tomatoes TOMATO TIPS, seed to harvest: Dozens of tricks for a better crop.
yes, even in dry shade MY 4 TOUGHEST GROUNDCOVERS perform even in the worst spots, like dry shade.
5 great small trees GARDEN-SIZED TREES can’t just be the right scale; they need to have multi-season interest, too. Have room for one of my favorites?
10 underplanting do’s and don’ts MAKING MOSAICS—that’s what I call good underplanting of trees and shrubs with a tapestry of plants. Here’s how.
making a 365-day garden THINK FALL (YES, FALL): Don’t get sucked in by spring-bloomers only at the nursery. A great garden happens 365 days: Shop smart to make it so.
the facts about bulbs SOMETHING UP with a flower bulb? Paltry bloom, or wondering when to feed or cut off the foliage? It’s all here.
must-read garden poem MY FAVORITE POEM celebrates loss, one of gardening (and life’s) realities. It does it with humor: "Why Did My Plant Die?” is a must-read. orchid rebloom made easy I REBLOOMED MY FIRST ORCHID recently (finally!) and it turns out to be pretty easy going. Here’s how.
can-do pruning REPEAT AFTER ME: I can prune. I can prune. If you follow this simple method for starters, your woody plants will thank you.
everything old is new VINTAGE 'GREEN' POSTERS from the WPA 1940s look fresher than ever.
shrubs to covet THE OLDER THE GARDEN and I get, the more we love these shrubs.
plants that perform 21 POWERHOUSE PERENNIALS you will love for your garden.
herb-garden help GROWING AND STORING a year of parsley.
berry peachy-keen CLAFOUTIS BATTER how-to (the solution for easy fruit desserts).
rex, rhizomatous and more FANCY-LEAF BEGONIAS, beauties for indoors and out.
crispy refrigerator pickles WHAT IS IT ABOUT refrigerator pickles that makes everybody so happy? Get those cukes ready!
winged victory THE GARDEN as bird habitat: 11 tips on what birds like.
keeping deer out DEER FENCE: I tried every anti-deer potion and trick till I got real and fenced. Strategies for every garden.
secrets to great tomatoes TOMATO TIPS, seed to harvest: Dozens of tricks for a better crop.
yes, even in dry shade MY 4 TOUGHEST GROUNDCOVERS perform even in the worst spots, like dry shade.
5 great small trees GARDEN-SIZED TREES can’t just be the right scale; they need to have multi-season interest, too. Have room for one of my favorites?
10 underplanting do’s and don’ts MAKING MOSAICS—that’s what I call good underplanting of trees and shrubs with a tapestry of plants. Here’s how.
making a 365-day garden THINK FALL (YES, FALL): Don’t get sucked in by spring-bloomers only at the nursery. A great garden happens 365 days: Shop smart to make it so.
the facts about bulbs SOMETHING UP with a flower bulb? Paltry bloom, or wondering when to feed or cut off the foliage? It’s all here.
must-read garden poem MY FAVORITE POEM celebrates loss, one of gardening (and life’s) realities. It does it with humor: "Why Did My Plant Die?” is a must-read. orchid rebloom made easy I REBLOOMED MY FIRST ORCHID recently (finally!) and it turns out to be pretty easy going. Here’s how.
can-do pruning REPEAT AFTER ME: I can prune. I can prune. If you follow this simple method for starters, your woody plants will thank you.
never stop wanting more plants, my garden mentor instilled in me 20-plus
years ago, regularly reminding me of another gardener, past 90, who still lusts
for every new thing he can get a cutting of. I promise not to, until I myself
am back in the soil.
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My witch hazle tree still is full of brown leaves. Do I pull them off so I can see all the yellow flowers? It is March and the leaves did not drop. They did not drop last year either. How come? Shirley in Richmond, VA
Welcome, Shirley. I have some small maples, including Acer pseudosieboldianum (a Korean species) where this happens, too. In late winter I brush off the old leaves with my hand. Your native witchhazel, Hamamelis vernalis, is known for this trait…I wonder if this is what you have? The winter-blooming Chinese types are drop their leaves consistently as far as I know. See you soon, I hope.