![]() ![]() Blue witch’s hat has a naturally dense growth habit, with its distinctive flowers ostentatiously displayed on the branch tips. In addition, the fragrant blossoms attract pollinators - especially bees. The large, cone-shaped inflorescences, which resemble a tall, broad-brimmed witch’s hat, progressively turn brilliant blue from the bottom up, until the entire inflorescence is colored. Blue witch’s hat - aka hedgehog sage - bears striking, long-lasting, cobalt-colored blossoms from autumn into spring. This evergreen species (Coleus livingstonei, formerly Pycnostachys urticifolia) can grow at least 5 feet tall on sunny, well-drained sites. ![]() Plants are available online.Īnd then there’s blue witch’s hat, a South African winter-flowering shrub that’s only recently been recognized for its landscape value. Propagation is by seeds that feature ‘’double dormancy,’’ which means they need two cycles of warm and cold seasons (over two years) to germinate. ![]() The species is adaptable, however, and if irrigated regularly during the establishment period, plants can succeed in drier, deeply mulched locations. Witch hazel demands shade - bright, filtered light is best - and it revels in organically enriched, moist soil. Most distinctive, however, are the aromatic, spidery, yellow blossoms that appear in autumn and winter. It’s a long-lived, multi-trunked species with picturesque branching and foliage that turns bright yellow in autumn before falling. The plant that obviously springs to mind is witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), a large deciduous shrub or small tree native to woodlands from New England to Central Florida. This year the topic is witches - the cartoonish kind that ride brooms and have crooked noses and snaggly teeth. Halloween is nigh, so it’s time for yet another not-even-slightly-scary column. ![]()
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