Witch Hazel Blooms Latest in the Year

A sighting of a new coltsfoot plant reminded me that Nature does have a way of surprising us.

Like this one day in October I was thinking to myself, “Well, there’s nothing blooming now!” as I walked down the lane to the highway. Seeing all the tree leaves on the ground verified that we were well into Autumn and the hangers-on were providing most of the color in the scenery.

Blooming Witch Hazel Blends With Yellow and Orange Leaves in the Background
Blooming Witch Hazel Blends With Yellow and Orange Leaves in the Background

Photos taken 29 October 2015. (Click on any image to see a larger version.)

The few colorful exceptions were the Chrysanthemum and Alyssum planted next to the house where they receive southern sun during the day and warmth from the building at night. A stray aster or Indian Tobacco here and there showed a few blooms, but for the most part flowers are history for the year once November starts, in Central Pennsylvania at least.

Witch Hazel Trees Bloom in October/November
Witch Hazel Trees Bloom in October/November

Then I saw the witch hazel trees in an awesome flowering! Probably the most blossoms I have seen on these trees on the east side of the lane. Photos couldn’t do them justice as the blooms faded into the scenery of yellows and oranges provided by the awesome fall foliage.

Some had just uncurled their long, strap-like, yellow petals.

Yellow Strap-like Petals of Witch Hazel Flowers
Yellow Strap-like Petals of Witch Hazel Flowers

A few old nuts from last year were still attached to a stem…but were the food bits still inside?

A Pair of Witch Hazel Nuts with New Flowers
A Pair of Witch Hazel Nuts with New Flowers

An oddity, a curiosity. Why bloom so late? What pollinates the flowers, wind? They surely can take the cold!

After a month or more of chilling weather and a few storms with gusty winds the witch hazel flowers having lost their petals still cling to the branches. Perhaps their small nuts will grow here to become a future food for a squirrel or wild turkey.

Lone Coltsfoot Volunteers in the Lane

When the holiday season comes to the mountains of Pennsylvania not much greenery can be found other than that of the pines and hemlocks that grow in our forests.

By December the deciduous trees are bare, but a few plants will still show green parts as long as the weather is mild. Ferns, grasses and mosses may retain some greenery the whole year while other plants in protected areas may still support a few leaves for a while longer.

I was surprised to see new leaves on a Coltsfoot plant that volunteered in the middle of the lane. There it was this green plant among all the grey and brown.

Coltsfoot in the Lane Growing New Leaves
Coltsfoot in the Lane Growing New Leaves

Photo taken 5 Dec 2015. (Click on any photo to see a larger image.)

The small new leaves with their perfect edges and solid color surround the central stems that have a purple hue. The older, larger leaves look raggedy in contrast.

New Leaves of Coltsfoot in the Lane
New Leaves of Coltsfoot in the Lane

So, I’ve made a mental note (and this post!) to help me remember what the new coltsfoot plant looks like now so that we can check it out in Spring.

If we’re lucky enough to see flowers, photos will be posted here in March or April, depending on how late the frozen part of winter lasts.

Flower Poetry Fridays: Flower Glossary Part 3

Welcome back to Flower Poetry Fridays with Mrs. Sigourney, where each Friday during the past year a new poem was posted from her The Voice Of Flowers.

At the end of her 1845 book of flower appreciation, she offers a “Glossary of Flowers Mentioned in This Volume”, which has been reproduced here in three parts. The last two Fridays we enjoyed the first and second parts of the flower glossary.

Today’s flowers, from N to W, is the third and last part of the flower glossary.

Glossary: Flowers N through W

Narcissus, . . . Self-love.

Nightshade, . . . Dark thoughts.

Oleander, . . . Beware !

Olive, . . . Peace.

Pansy, . . . Pleasant thoughts.

Pea, Everlasting, . . . Wilt thou go with me?

Pea, Sweet, . . . Departure.

Pink, . . . Woman’s love.

Piony, . . . Anger.

Polyanthus, . . . Confidence.

Poppy, Red, . . . Evanescent pleasure.

Poppy, White, . . . Consolation.

Primrose, . . . Modest worth.

Ragged Lady, . . . Bad housekeeping.

Rhododendron, . . . Majesty.

Rose, . . . Beauty and prosperity.

Rose, Cinnamon, . . . Maternal care.

Rose, Damask, . . . Bashful love.

Rose, Thornless, . . . Ingratitude.

Rose, Multiflora, . . . Grace.

Rose, Moss, . . . Superior merit.

Rose, Wild, . . . Lightness.

Rose-bud, Moss, . . . Confession.

Rose-bud, White, . . . Too young to love.

Sage, . . . Domestic virtues.

Snowball, . . . Thoughts of Heaven.

Soldier in Green, . . . Undying hope.

Spruce, . . . Integrity.

Sunflower, . . . Lofty thoughts.

Sweet-Briar, . . . Simplicity.

Sweet-William, . . . A smile.

Thistle, . . . Misanthropy.

Tulip, . . . A declaration of love.

Venus’s Fly-Trap, . . . Artifice.

Verbena, . . . Sensibility.

Violet, . . . Modesty.

Water-Lily, . . . Purity of heart.

Wax-Berry, . . . Confiding trust.

Willow, Weeping, . . . Forsaken love.

Woodbine, . . . Fraternal love.

THE END


Flowers and their meanings.

The thing I’m curious about is, did the flower receiver, back in the day, have an understanding of some of these meanings? Did they have any idea that the flower giver was sharing emotions or feelings when handing them a basket of flowers?

Looking at the list of flowers in the glossary it goes to prove there is tremendous variety in flowers. The spice of life, I’d say.

Have to admit that I hadn’t heard of Ragged Lady. . . Bad housekeeping. Turns out that it’s Nigella damascena, also known as love-in-a-mist, a Buttercup Family member with spiky, fern-like foliage that makes the whole plant look unkept. The seed heads are large spiky spheres. The spike-like leaves still make the plant look kind of shaggy even after the flowers are gone. The flowers are pretty in shades of blue, pink and purple.

The Soldier in Green. . . Undying hope is a new flower for me, Adonis aestivalis, another Buttercup Family member. It seems to be more commonly called Pheasants Eye, a name that doesn’t make sense to me. Soldier in Green probably refers to the volume of upright foliage surrounding the flowers.

Rose, Multiflora. . . Grace. Yeah, for one week of the year. The rest of the time what a nuisance! It takes a number of hours clomping, sawing and digging these wild roses to get rid of them. Black raspberries would be so much more appreciated growing in that space!

Flower Poetry Fridays: Flower Glossary Part 2

Welcome back to Flower Poetry Fridays with Mrs. Sigourney, where each Friday during the past year a new poem was posted from her The Voice Of Flowers.

At the end of her 1845 book of flower appreciation, she offers a “Glossary of Flowers Mentioned in This Volume”, which will be reproduced here in three parts. Last Friday we enjoyed the first part of the flower glossary.

Today’s flowers, from E to M, is the second part of the flower glossary. Stay tuned for Part 3.

Glossary: Flowers E through M

Eglantine, . . . I wound to heal.

Fleur de lis, . . . Aristocracy.

Flowering Bean, . . . Industry.

Forget-me-not, . . . True love.

Fox-Glove, . . . Insincerity.

Geranium, . . . Gentility.

Geranium, Rose, . . . Preference.

Gladiolis, . . . Martial taste.

Grape, . . . Mirth.

Hackmetack, . . . Single blessedness.

Hare-Bell, . . . Grief.

Hawthorn, . . . Hope.

Heliotrope, . . . Devotion.

Holly, . . . Domestic happiness.

Hollyhock, . . . Ambition.

Honeysuckle, . . . Fidelity.

Honeysuckle, Trumpet, . . . Inconstancy.

Hyacinth, . . . Friendship in adversity

Hydrangia, . . . Heartlessness.

Ice-Plant, . . . An old beau.

Iris, . . . My compliments.

Ivy, . . . Wedded love.

Jessamine, . . . Amiability.

Jonquil, . . . I desire a return of affection.

Lady’s-Slipper, . . . Capricious beauty.

Larkspur, . . . Haughtiness.

Laurel, . . . I change but in dying.

Lilac, Persian, . . . An accomplished traveller.

Lilac, Purple, . . . Fastidiousness.

Lilac, White, . . . Youthful innocence.

Lily, White, . . . Purity and beauty.

Lily of the Valley, . . . Delicate simplicity.

Lobelia, . . . Malevolence.

London-Pride, . . . Frivolity.

Lupine, . . . Dejection.

Maple, . . . Reserve.

Marigold, . . . Jealousy.

Mignionette, . . . Your virtues surpass your charms.

Mimosa, . . . Sensitiveness.

Misletoe, . . . Superstition.

Monk’s-Hood, . . . Deceit.

Mourning Widow, . . . Bereavement.

Myrtle, . . . Love in absence.


Flowers and their meanings.

According to her glossary some flowers seem fitting for a certain station in life, like White Lilac. . . Youthful innocence, Ivy. . . Wedded love, and Mourning Widow. . . Bereavement.

Others tell of the emotions we experience through many of life’s tribulations, like Monk’s-Hood. . . Deceit or Marigold. . . Jealousy.

One facet of Mrs. Sigourney’s work that I love is her characterization of the flowers that she wrote about. In her poems you can read about characters of minions – the dandelions, peasants – the violets, nobility – the rose, and royalty – the queen dahlia.

It takes real imagination and colorful words to come up with characters like these we find in her flower poetry.

Stay tuned next week for the Flower Glossary, Part 3.