{"id":8970,"date":"2025-04-21T07:45:19","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T11:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/?p=8970"},"modified":"2025-05-13T13:03:27","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T17:03:27","slug":"spring-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/spring-party\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Party!"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":8974,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","tve_updated_post":"
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A long time ago, I would have said, \u201cUgh!\u201d to shrubs. However, over the last few years, I have grown fond of a few.<\/em> I thought I would showcase my favorites.<\/p><\/div>

We\u2019ll start with my second<\/em> favorite.<\/p>

Fothergilla<\/strong><\/p>

Really? Fothergilla Kim?!?!  You bet. I agree that in the summer, there isn\u2019t much to talk about when it comes to Fothergilla. During the summer it sits in the landscape as a perfectly well-behaved, quiet, little shrub. (Maybe not so little as Fothergilla gardenii gets to be 3-4\u2019 and Fothergilla \u2018Mt Airy\u2019 comes in at 4-5\u2019.) But spring brings the WOW effect of flowers! Even with their \u201cdirty white\u201d color, the little \u201cbottle brushes\u201d are adorable! Flowers appear from April until May. Green leaves don\u2019t appear until after the flowers, making the flowers more fab!<\/p><\/div>

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Fall brings vibrant purple, maroon, burgundy, red, yellow, orange and gold to Fothergilla gardenii. (Did I miss a color from the rainbow?) Fothergilla x \u2018Mt Airy\u2019 tends to stay in the yellows and oranges.<\/p><\/div>

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One more thing about Fothergilla gardenii and \u2018Mt Airy\u2019. Ready for it?? They do it all in part shade or full sun. I have Fothergilla gardenii planted in nearly full shade at home and they are just as fabulous as those in full sun. <\/p>

Now my favorite.<\/p>

Hamamelis \u2013 \u201cWitch-hazel\u201d<\/strong><\/p>

Some of you may say, \u201cKim this is a tree, not a shrub\u201d. I agree that it\u2019s not really<\/em> a shrub, but instead a small multi-stemmed tree. Hamamelis virginiana<\/strong> is the bigger of the two at 15-20\u2019, while Hamamelis vernalis<\/strong> is much shorter at around 6-8\u2019. Both are native to Michigan and bird magnets.<\/p>

Hamamelis vernalis flowers January-March and Hamamelis virginiana flowers October-November. Both have yellow flowers that get tinges of red and flower without the leaves. However, Hamamelis vernalis flowers before<\/em> leaves while \u201cVirgin Witches\u201d flower after<\/em> leaf drop.<\/p>

Christensen\u2019s will have a few other Hamamelis varieties this year. I am looking forward to seeing the \u2018Grape Fizz\u2019, <\/strong>spring-blooming, Hamamelis. The flowers are a deep shade of purple-red and can reach 4-5\u2019 tall.<\/p>

\u2018Carmine Red\u2019 Hamamelis<\/strong>, flowering in \u2026 red. These can reach 10-12\u2019.<\/p>

Hamamelis \u2018Diane\u2019<\/strong> has an amber-orange flower and grows to 8-12\u2019.<\/p>

And of course, customers will find Hamamelis \u2018Arnolds Promise\u2019<\/strong>, with its yellow flowers.<\/p>

All of these varieties bloom in early spring and are officially Hamamelis x intermedia hybrids.<\/p><\/div>

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And finally, my third favorite shrubbery is\u2026<\/p>

Pieris<\/strong><\/p>

I know it doesn\u2019t do all that great for us and needs a proper location to thrive. But it is worth it! Pieris are ericaceous broadleaf evergreen shrubs, like a Rhododendron. Pieris may need winter help, so it doesn\u2019t desiccate (dry out). The white flowers are born in early spring.<\/p>

Pieris \u2018Mt. Fire\u2019<\/strong> has huge clusters of flowers, but the show comes from its foliage. New foliage is red but ages to green. Because new foliage emerges all year, there is always some red streaked in. Remember it needs a proper, shady and well-drained, location!<\/p><\/div>

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Contact your Sales Rep to add one or more of my favorites to your next project.  <\/p>

Happy Spring!  k<\/p><\/div>

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