Witch Hazel
Anyone who has followed this blog for long knows I bought 10 young bare root witch hazel shrubs/trees a few years back and planted them along the south fence line. It’s been a learning experience and there have been mishaps along the way — but all 10 are still alive. I learned that deer love to nibble them, so protection is now around them in a kind of careless way. A better way needs to be put into place. I learned I need to stay far away from them with the weedwhacker. I’ve maimed a couple pretty good. Luckily they are resilient and come back even stronger. Once better fencing is on the other side of them, they should grow way better. My plan is to use parts of them to make astringent with, instead of paying a fortune for it in the store.
Willow
There are two huge willow in the front yard. There are a bunch of other ones way out back. They love water and you will usually find them near water. The two out front have suffered disease and losing major limbs. Wind and ice are very harmful to them. They are hardy and still stand strong. The cicadas love to sing from these trees in summertime.
What’s your favorite tree?
What’s your favorite shrub?
Tao Talk 
Lovely willows and witch hazels! I would love a witch hazel in my yard, but there is one at the local elementary school that we walk past, so I get to see the flowers in February.
My favorite tree? It’s hard to beat a sugar maple, but really there are so many tree I love. And this time of year I’m in love with the star magnolias and all the cherry-family trees in blossom.
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So nice you get to see mature witch hazel. Meijer Gardens has at least one, and iirc it’s right near the seasonal bonsai area and the zen garden. Perfect spot for it. I do love this time of year with the cherry-family trees in bloom. They are blooming at Meijer Gardens right now too, but we didn’t get over near them this past week. Hope they are still going this coming Tuesday. I’m thinking of a song about all of this tree blooming:
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I do love willow trees. I think my favorite blossoming shrub is the rhododendron. Happy Saturday, Lisa!
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Brenda, I love the grace of willows. Those fronds get me every time. I walked out back this morning and the willow catkins are out. So pretty! Rhododendrons are gorgeous. I see why they are your favorite. My mom gave me one when I first moved here but for some reason it didn’t survive :(
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I don’t know if we grow Witch Hazel in Alabama. Now I need to find out! We have weeping willow trees (that is what we call them) and I remember my daddy saying they loved water and would grow toward and get in septic tank lines and clog up things!
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Yes, they do get into the drain field :(
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My favorite shrub? I looked up some and I would say “Common Hibiscus” I love those.
My Favorite tree? You know that one…a Weeping Willow Tree.
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Hibiscus are beautiful. They have some in the tropical conservatory that bloom while it is winter outside. Not sure if I knew or not about weeping willow, probably did but forgot.
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They are not fancy but I love hibiscus…
Weeping Willows do look sad but they are beautiful.
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That one witch hazel looks great. I’m not surprised that deer like them. I love the smell myself.
I really like oak trees. But it’s hard to pick a favorite tree. Lilacs are my favorite flowering shrub. (K)
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The one that looks great is the only one that looks great right now :( I need a better system. Deer have done the same thing with the 3 ginkgo growing way out back. I hacked my way with pruners to get through the blackberry brambles, wild rose shrubs, and the trees with thorns on their trunks to get back there today (you don’t want to see my arms and hands) They are all still alive, even the one I ran over with the mower 2 summers ago — but barely, even with tomato cages around them. I like the deer but with everything else out there, leave them alone please!
What’s the main tree in Central Park (if there is a main tree?) The big lilac here has its tiny bud things read to go.
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Central Park was planned, so I don’t think there is any main tree. There used to be lot of elms in upper Riverside Park along the walk, but Dutch Elm Disease got them all about 25 years go. They’ve planted a variety of trees to replace them. Much wiser.
I remember the state of both arms and legs from picking blackberries as a child. Of course when you are a child you don’t care.
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Lovely pictures Li. I’m not very knowledgeable about trees so any tree that gives shade or fruit is a favorite of mine
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Thanks, Sadje. Those are good tree attributes.
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Indeed.
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Willows are one of my favorite kinds of trees. @samanthabwriter from Balancing Act
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Cool, Samantha.
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I never thought about witch hazel, I just get it at the local Dollar Store. Interesting. We just planted 25 forsythia bushes along our fence lines, a reminder of my growing up in New England.
My favorite trees are birch and weeping willow. Bushes would be forsythia and lilac.
Hey, only four more letters to go…phew!
Donna: Click for my 2025 A-Z Blog
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I love the brightness of forsythia.
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I use witch hazel but never thought of trying to grow my own! I get refills from a zero waste store here so I don’t have to feel bad about buying plastic bottles from Walmart, but making it would be so cool! I need to look into it and see if it will grow in our soil… and hope I don’t kill it if so.
– Allison
https://lightningflashwriting.blogspot.com/
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I hope you do. Great on the zero waste store. Mine will take awhile to get to a place where I can harvest parts to make astringent with.
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Nice that your witch hazel’s are all alive! My favourite is pride of india, no matter the colour flower.
Ronel visiting for A-Z Challenge Wise Baba Yaga & My Languishing TBR: W #AtoZChallenge2025 #Books #Bookreview
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Never heard of Pride of India will have to look it up.
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I love all trees, except those that worms love and the type that looks like it grows dense spider webs as standard, instead of leaves.
Also, that little piggy at the top of the illustration is adorable. 😍
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There are some trees here that have thorns on their trunks that I really hate. Very tough to prune them and stay away from the thorns. Thank you on the little piggy <3
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That does sound nightmarish. Are they at least beautiful like their thorned cousin, roses?
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Because they are so invasive I can’t look at them as beautiful. The wild roses, the same :( If I had the right shearing equipment it wouldn’t be so bad.
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That’s understandable. 🤓
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