Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise' is one of the most popular witch hazel cultivars, but that still makes it an uncommon plant to see in the garden. It is a small vase-shaped tree that can be kept quite small with pruning, so it will fit into any garden. It can even be grown as a small potted plant or bonsai.

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise', by Robert Pavlis

H. x intermedia is a cross between the Japanese witch hazel (H. japonica) and the Chinese witch hazel (H. mollis). The cultivar 'Arnold Promise' was developed at the Arnold Arboretum and named in 1963, and is commonly called the Arnold Promise witch hazel.

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise', by Robert Pavlis

Witch hazel cultivars are difficult to propagate and are normally sold as grafted plants. H. x intermedia is usually grafted on the North American native, H. virginiana which commonly suckers. These need to be removed in order to maintain the cultivar.

Video showing you how to remove suckers 

In my alkaline, clay soil, they are slow to establish themselves, but they don't seem to have a problem in these conditions. H. virginiana blooms in late fall and H. x intermedia bloom in late winter. Arnold Promise is one of the last to flower and usually flowers when there is still snow on the ground. The foliage turns an attractive yellow-to-orange color in the fall.

Witch hazel wood is used for dowsing, also called witching, a method used to locate water. You hold a Y-shaped branch as you walk across the ground and when it points down you have found underground water. A friend of mine, that drills wells, told me that he always carries such a stick in his truck. Some customers will only drill if he witched the land to find the water, so he would go through the process to keep them happy. Although this belief is held by many, it is a complete myth and has no scientific basis.

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise', by Robert Pavlis

Other popular cultivars include Diane with copper-red flowers, Copper Beauty has coppery-orange flowers and Ruby Glow which has copper-red flowers and much better fall color. Each witch hazel requires a different chill period before it flowers which results in each one flowering at a different time.

I brought some stems in the house this winter and was amazed as how well they did. It only takes a few days for the flower buds to open and they last about 2 weeks. I think I actually prefer them as forced branches rather than leaving them outside.

Video showing you how to force branches

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise'

(ham-uh-MEE-lis  in-ter=MEE-dee-a)

Life Cycle: shrub

Height: 5 m (15 ft)

Bloom Time: late winter

Natural Range: n/a

Habitat: mollis - forests, japonica - mountains

Synonyms:  n/a

Cultivation of Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise':

Light: part shade to full sun, flowers best in full sun

Soil: acidic, humusy

Water: moderate

USDA Hardiness Zone: 5- 9

Propagation: difficult by cuttings, seeds need two chill periods

Abelia mosanensis is a lovely shrub that few people grow. I am not sure why because it is very easy to grow, flowers well every year and is more fragrant than just about any other shrub in my collection. It does sucker a bit, but is easily controlled. It also forms nice red-orange fall colors.

The name of this plant may be under review. The Plant List still calls it Abelia mosanensis as do most references, but a few now call it Zabelia tyaihyonii. Common names include hardy abelia, fragrant abelia and Korean abelia.

Abelia mosanensis, by Robert Pavlis

The flowers start out as dark pink buds in late spring and slowly open as white flowers. At that point they become butterfly and insect magnets, all jostling for a chance to get some sweet nectar. The sepals have an attractive pink tint and persist long after the flowers fade. Deer and rabbits never bother it. It tolerates part shade and my bush gets sun from morning until about 1:00 pm.

Abelia mosanensis, by Robert Pavlis

It is easy to propagate by removing suckers and it also roots well from cuttings.  It blooms on old wood so it should be pruned after flowering.

Video showing how to propagate from suckers: https://youtu.be/uBC1ZRMry0w

Many sources on the internet claim that the Korean abelia is native to L.atvia. Tim Wood, the plant hunter, tells the story about getting some cuttings from a Latvian lady in Germany. Perhaps this shrub was imported to Latvia early on, and has migrated to other places from there, leading people to believe it is native there? It is native to Korea.

Abelia mosanensis

(ah-BEE-lee-uh  mo-sahn-EN-sis)

Life Cycle: shrub

Height: 6 m (6-8 ft)

Bloom Time: late spring - early summer

Natural Range: Korea

Habitat: ???

Synonyms: Zabelia tyaihyonii, Abelia tyaihyoni

Cultivation of Abelia mosanensis:

Light: part shade to full sun

Soil: variable

Water: moist to dry

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4- 9

Propagation: seed, division, softwood cuttings

Iris x norrisii is a very interesting plant that flowers in the heat of summer when flowering can be a bit slow in the garden. It also has some very interesting seed heads for late fall.

This poor primary hybrid and its parents have gone through a number of name changes. One parent, Iris domestica (formerly Belamcanda chinensis, aka Iris chinensis) is from tropical SE Asia and the Philippines while the other, Iris dichotoma (formerly Pardanthopsis dichotoma) is from farther north (Mongolia and Russia). Iris x norrisii looks more like I. domestica but due to its parents, it grows in a very wide range of conditions and produces many different color forms.

Iris x norrisii ( x Pardancanda norrisii, Candy Lilies), photo by Robert Pavlis

The wide range of flower color, with and without speckles, is one reason it is becoming more popular in gardens. I especially like growing them from seed since you never know what you will end up with.

They are commonly known as the candy lily, painted lily and orchid lily, although they are not lilies at all. The leaves are distinctly iris-like, forming a definite fan shape. They are short lived, lasting 3-4 years, but they do self sow and can be easily propagated by seeds or cuttings. They can flower the first year from seed.

Iris x norrisii ( x Pardancanda norrisii, Candy Lilies), photo by Robert Pavlis

Individual flowers last only a day, but flowering stems can have hundreds of buds providing a long display of color. I. domestica opens its flowers in the morning and I. dichotoma in the late afternoon. The Candy lily opens its flower at various times of the day depending on the cultivar.

Iris x norrisii ( x Pardancanda norrisii, Candy Lilies), photo by Robert Pavlis

Some named cultivars are available. 'Dazzler' is a dwarf strain growing 16" (40 cm) tall. 'Vanilla Frost', a Darrell Probst introduction, is a rare selection that is white with a yellow eye. It is slow to form offsets and does not set seed, so it may be difficult to locate, but worth the search. 'Sangria' is a nice purple with golden yellow patterned petals.

Iris x norrisii ( x Pardancanda norrisii, Candy Lilies), photo by Robert Pavlis

Iris x norrisii

(EYE-ris  x no-RIS-ee-eye)

Life Cycle: perennial

Height: 90 cm (3 ft)

Bloom Time: late summer

Natural Range: N/A

Habitat: N/A

Synonyms: n/a

Cultivation of Iris x norrisii:

Light: sun

Soil: variable, prefers sandy well drained

Water: average to dry

USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 - 10

Propagation: seed, division

Post created by Robert Pavlis

Mertensia virginica is a delightful spring ephemeral with soft blue flowers. Easily grown in shade or part shade, and requires no effort from the gardener. Plant and forget it. You don't even have to clean up the foliage as it just disappears under other garden stars that grow later in the year.

Mertensia virginica, photo by Robert Pavlis

Common names include Virginia bluebells, Virginia cowslips, lugwort oysterleaf and Roanokoe bells, although I have to admit I have only ever heard the first name, Virginia bluebells. The common form has blue flowers but it is also available as an 'alba' (white) and 'rubra' (pink) form.

Virginia bluebells is part of the Boraginaceae family along with forget-me-nots (Myosotis) and lungwort (Pulmonaria). All of these flower in a unique way. The buds start out pink and as the flower opens it turns blue, telling pollinators that it is ready for a visit. It is believed that this color change is due to a pH change in the cellular fluids. Some hydrangea flowers can also change between blue and pink which is due to plant-available levels of aluminum in the soil, which in turn is affected by soil pH. The blue color of Virginia bluebells does get more intense in acidic soil but I found no references to suggest it has to do with aluminum levels, but that is likely the case.

Mertensia virginica, photo by Robert Pavlis

Even though it is called a bluebell, the flower is more trumpet-shaped (salverform) than bell-shaped (campanulate).

I find the plant grows slowly in zone 5, part shade, pH 7.4. The clumps are getting bigger, but not as fast as I'd like and there are few if any natural seedlings. It can be grown from seed which is best sown immediately after collection. If they are stored over winter the seeds need cold-moist stratification for six weeks.

Mertensia virginica

(mer-TEN-see-uh  vir-JIN-ih-kuh)

Life Cycle: perennial

Height: 30cm (1 ft)

Bloom Time: late spring

Natural Range: North America

Habitat: woodlands

Synonyms:  none

Cultivation of Mertensia virginica:

Light: part shade to full shade

Soil: variable, prefers humusy soil

Water: moist to dry

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-9

Propagation: seed, division

Post created by Robert Pavlis