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Category: Trees & Shrubs

Winter to Spring: Arnold’s Promise Blooms Brightly

After weeks of below-freezing temperatures, my backyard is lit up like Christmas, seemingly out of nowhere.

Why? My Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold’s Promise’) is blooming.

We’ve had a brutal winter: several weeks below freezing, high winds, and an ice storm.

Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel pulls me out of the winter doldrums yearly.

I took the pictures below on March 18, 2025, in USDA Hardiness Zone 6. My Snow Crocus are just coming into bloom, and the Daffodils are a week or two away from bloom.

You have to see the Witch Hazel flowers up close to appreciate them.

Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel blooms at a time when few other plants are in bloom.

Other plants that bloom in late winter include Snowdrops, Snow Crocus and Lenten Rose.

Furthermore, Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel is an understory tree. It prefers to grow in partial shade. The tree will tolerate drought once established.

Also, Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel grows as a single-stem tree or multi-stemmed shrub, reaching about 25 feet.

Because it is such a unique tree, Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel often sells out early in the season.

In conclusion, if you like the look of Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel, I suggest you get to the garden center early.

March 20, 2025
Sugar Maple Seedlings – Mast Year

Last fall, we had a bumper crop of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) seeds, leading to a bumper crop of sugar maple seedlings.

I’ve never seen so many sugar maple seedlings in the garden.

Why Are there so many Maple Seedlings in My Yard?

Sugar maples have what are known as ‘Mast Years,’ when they produce a bumper crop of seeds that overwhelm animals that eat the seeds, such as mice and birds. Oak trees also have mast years.

The maple trees literally overwhelm the opposition’s defenses, much like when the troops landed in Normandy.

Here’s a close-up of sugar maple seedlings growing in my gravel drive. The photo covers less than one square foot.

Sugar maple trees flank my home, providing shade from morning and afternoon sun. During the summer, the house rarely sees direct sunlight.

The sugar maple trees are very tall, and there are plenty of them to set seed.

Sugar maple flowers in full bloom in mid-April.

If you’re looking for sugar maple (Acer saccharum) seedlings, I know a guy with a few to spare!

May 13, 2024
Hartlage Wine Calycanthus

Hartlage Wine Calycanthus, Calycanthus raulstonii ‘Hartlage Wine,’ is an underused large shrub that ticks all the boxes: gorgeous blooms, long season of bloom and easy to care for.

Where does Hartlage Wine Sweetshrub Grow?

Hartlage Wine Calycanthus will grow in full sun or shade. However, you’ll get more and larger flowers in full sun.

Calycanthus likes average to slightly moist soil.

How large does Hartlage Wine Calycanthus Grow?

Hartlage Wine Calyucanthus grows 12 feet tall, with new growth extending 3 to 4 feet from the previous year.

Hartlage Wine Sweetshrub is a fast grower; the more sun, the quicker it fills in.

When does Hartlage Wine Sweetshrub Bloom?

Hartlage Wine Calycanthus blooms four to six weeks, beginning early May in USDA Hardiness Zone 6.

The flowers are three to four inches in diameter and have a crimson-purple color that is gorgeous.

The more sun Hartlage Wine Calycanthus receives, the more it blooms. In deep shade, there are still flowers.

Hartlage Wine Sweetshrub foliage fills in through the season. By October, the leaves fill in dramatically.

The leaves are glossy and grow quite large.

How Do You Prune Hartlage Wine Calycanthus?

Perform heavy pruning immediately after bloom for the best display next year. Hartlage Wine Calycanthus easily recovers from heavy pruning.

Crossing branches and branches that grow away from the shrub should be removed. Then, reduce the overall height of the shrub by one to three feet.

I’ve never had a bad year of bloom, except for reduced bloom and more petite flowers on plants in deep shade.

If you’re planting Hartlage Wine Calycanthus as a naturalizing shrub, pruning isn’t necessary. After 4 to 5 years, the shrub will develop into a thicket 10 to 12 feet tall.

Does Hartlage Wine Sweetshrub have a Fall Color?

Hartlage Wine Calycanthus has a yellow fall color.

My love for Hartlage Wine Calycanthus has only increased since making this video.

Hartlage Wine Calycanthus is a must-have for the gardening enthusiast in USDA Hardiness Zone 6, along with Dwarf Fothergilla and PeeGee Hydrangea.

November 3, 2023
Tree Petunia Flowers?

The other day, I spotted a beautiful pink flower two feet off the ground and felt a rush of adrenalin, thinking I discovered tree petunia flowers.

Upon closer inspection, I realized my self-sewn petunias had grown into a Cornell Pink Rhododendron.

I still think it’s cool!

You’ll see Hartlage Wine Calycanthus foliage to the right of the tree petunia flower. To the upper left of the tree petunia flower, in the shadows, is a Lenten Rose that self-sowed.

This picture was taken in early October. Petunia flowers start to fade when the days begin to get shorter. Hence, while there are flowers, the petunia patch looks pretty beat up.

You can see the buds of the Cornell Pink Rhododendron. I can’t wait for them to beckon spring again.

I find garden novelties, such as tree petunia flowers, the most exciting parts of the garden.

October 10, 2023
PeeGee Hydrangea Window Peeping

The off-white PeeGee Hydrangea contrasts warm yellow lamp light inside the house viewed through a double-hung window older than me.

PeeGee Hydrangeas give instant class to any landscape.

Click on image to view larger.

October 2, 2023
PeeGee Hydrangea Full Bloom

PeeGee hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’) gives instant elegance to any landscape.

PeeGee Hydrangea – Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’

The white, reliable blooms of PeeGee Hydrangea slowly become pink as fall progresses. Other features of PeeGee Hydrangeas include a course habit and yellowing leaves as the temperature grows colder.

Prune PeeGee hydrangeas whenever you see fit, for they bloom on the current season’s growth.

PeeGee Hydrangeas are there every year; no matter how cold the winter, how wet the spring, or how dry the summer.

This is the same Hydrangea on May 15, while the picture at the top of the page is from September 8.

I cut back my PG Hydrangeas heavily every winter. Last year, I removed the top three feet of the main trunk, and the plant loved it.

Meadow Rue – Thalictrum rochebrunianum

On the extreme left of the photo at the top of the page is a Meadow Rue that self-sowed a few years ago. I tie it to the downspout by mid-summer to prevent thunderstorms from knocking it over.

Dawn Redwood – Metasequoia glyptostroboides

At the back right of the photo, in the shadows, is a Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) planted in the early 2000s. It was 6 feet tall when planted, and now it towers over the house’s roof.

My son learned to climb in that tree.

Dawn Redwood makes a great gift if you know anyone with children with a large yard. The child will enjoy climbing it by the time they become a teenager.

In front of the PeeGee Hydrangea is a bed of petunias. I planted Wave Petunias three years ago, and for the past two years, the petunias self-sowed. Last year, the flowers had more pink. However, this year, they’re showing more white.

I enjoy creating landscapes with staggered blooms to create multi-season interest. However, if Mother Nature wants to help with some self-sown meadow rue or petunias, that’s okay too!

I’m not sure how that post spiraled so out of control. Despite that, my work is done if you appreciate the PeeGee Hydrangea at the top of the page.

September 19, 2023
Patriotic Lambsquarters

Last week, I woke early and headed out to hone my photography skills.

While I would like to put all of my award-winning photos in one post, I realized a picture truly is worth a thousand words and decided to break up the posts.

Click on a photo to open a larger version.

Patriotic Lambsquarters

I love how this lambsquarters frames the American flag. I should feel guilty for not weeding my gardens, but I don’t. The weeds keep coming, and all we can do is our best.

I planted Cocktail Vodka Wax Begonias beneath the flag with Green Tower Boxwood (Buxus x ‘Green Tower’) behind. This bed is in the shade, and the wax begonias are thriving!

September 18, 2023
Spring Flowers for Early Bloom in the Landscape

We all want to see color after a long dreary winter. However, what can we plant to get spring flowers sooner?

Yesterday, I looked out the kitchen window and the Arnold Promise Witch Hazel was on fire. It’s mid-march and I’ve already got a flowering tree in full bloom.

Arnold Promise Witch Hazel doesn’t have the showiest flowers but it does one thing very well. It is in full bloom when nothing else is, except for perhaps Crocus and Lenten Rose.

I enjoy the pre-spring flowers or Arnold Promise Witch Hazel. How could you not?

My nature-planted crocus are in full bloom. Crocus and Arnold Promise Witch Hazel are in the same time frame for succession of bloom. I’m in awe of Crocus every time I see them. The flowers may be covered by six inches of snow tomorrow.

The daffodils won’t be in bloom for another couple of weeks, give or take. I need to remove some of the shredded leaves I put on the plants last fall.

I have poppies emerging or simply growing. I don’t think poppies die back in the winter. They simply turn a little brown but maintain their vigor in the center of the foliage.

As dainty as poppy flowers appear they’re tough-as-nails plant that thrives in hot and dry locations. The photo below was taken in May or June.

My tulips are just beginning to emerge.

Here we are two days later and the temperature is in the low 30s F with two to five inches of heavy, wet snow forecast for today. Have I mentioned what a wonderful addition to the garden Arnold Promise Witch Hazel is?

March 14, 2023
Oakleaf Hydrangea Glowing in the Morning Sun

This morning I stepped outside for a breath of air and caught an Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) glowing in the warmth of the morning sun.

Oakleaf Hydrangeas are one of my favorite plants for several reasons.

First, the oak-shaped leaves create interest in the landscape all year.

Second, mid-summer blooms light up the landscape and persist until frost.

Third, the fall color of Oakleaf Hydrangeas is outstanding with glowing shades of oranges and reds.

Fourth, Oakleaf Hydrangeas are reasonably slow growers and seldom outgrow their space.

Fifth, Oakleaf Hydrangeas thrive in both sun and partial shade and tolerate dry conditions. If you need a 3-5 foot tall shrub for the shade garden think Oakleaf Hydrangea.

There are only two minor downsides to Oakleaf Hydrangeas I can think of.

First, Oakleaf Hydrangeas can be finicky when it comes to pruning.

Oakleaf Hydrangeas bloom on the previous season’s growth. If you prune them too early you risk removing the current year’s blooms and if you prune them too late you risk removing the next year’s blooms.

The winter habit of an Oakleaf Hydrangea below reveals you don’t have a lot to work with when it comes to pruning.

I’ve tried pruning Oakleaf Hydrangea both early and late with limited success.

I accept that if I prune more than a branch or two on an Oakleaf Hydrangea I may not get blooms this season or next season.

If I need to do a major pruning on an Oakleaf Hydrangea I prune immediately after bloom and still, I often lose out on most flowers the next year.

Second, some Oakleaf Hydrangeas, survive but don’t thrive. Like the one in this picture.

Admittedly, this plant is in dry, deep shade and that the shrub is growing at all is a miracle. However, I’m lucky to have a flower or two on this four-foot-tall shrub.

The interesting foliage, fall color and survivability are worth tolerating an Oakleaf Hydrangea with few or no flowers in my book.

My favorite cultivar of Oakleaf Hydrangea is Ruby Slippers. Watch the video below starting at 25:35 for why I love Ruby Slipper Oakleaf Hydrangea. I haven’t pruned this Ruby Slippers Hydrangea besides deadheading and the occasional branch or two for years.

Less is more when it comes to pruning Oakleaf Hydrangeas. Consider if you need to prune at all besides dead heading.

Below is a high-resolution image of my oakleaf hydrangea glowing in the morning sun. Click on the image to open it in a new tab.

November 3, 2022