It’s wonderful to see the gardens transform this time of year.
Here at my Bedford, New York farm the witch hazel shrubs are blooming. With their fragrant, butter yellow to orange and scarlet red flowers, witch hazels add a lovely spark of life to otherwise gray winter landscapes. Although witch hazel has many common names, its generic name means “together with fruit” - it is the only tree in North America to have flowers, ripe fruit, and next year’s leaf buds on its branches at the same time. Their diversity, beauty, and all-season appeal make them one of the most well-loved garden specimens.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Witch hazel grows as small trees or shrubs with numerous clusters of rich yellow to fiery orange-red flowers. Common names include Witch hazel, American Witch hazel, Common Witch hazel, Winterbloom, Snapping Hazelnut, Striped Alder, Spotted Alder, Tobacco-wood, and Water-witch.
The name witch hazel is a derivation from the Old English “wice” or “wiche” meaning pliant or bendable. Early settlers used the pliable branches to make bows for hunting. The same forked branches also became favorite witching sticks of dowsers, who used them to search for underground water. Nowadays, witch hazel is often used ornamentally as splashes of color during winter. They’re very hardy and are not prone to a lot of diseases.
I have a lot of witch hazel growing at the farm These smaller specimens were planted in September of 2019 and are doing very well. They perform best in full sun, or filtered shade. Witch hazels also possess shallow, slow-growing root systems, which do best in large planting areas. Fortunately, I have a lot of room to grow these pretty shrubs. I have several mature shrubs near my Summer House and more near my allee of lindens.
The leaves of witch hazel are oblong with large, wavy teeth, and uneven bases.
In autumn, the soft leaves turn a fine yellow before dropping.
Most species bloom from January to March and display beautiful spidery flowers that let off a slightly spicy fragrance. Some of the varieties I grow here at my farm include hybrids Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Feuerzauber’, ‘Diane’, ‘Jelena’, ‘Old Copper’, and Hamamelis japonica ‘Superba’.
Witch hazel is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae. There are four types of witch hazel – Hamamelis virginiana, Hamamelis vernalis, Hamamelis japonica, and Hamamelis mollis. All of these produce flowers with strap-like crumpled petals. Hamamelis mollis, or Chinese witch hazel, is the most fragrant of all the species. Chinese witch hazel begins blooming as early as January and has buttery yellow petals and clear yellow fall foliage.
American Indians first discovered that the witch hazel bark, when boiled into a tea or mixed with animal fats into a poultice, had therapeutic qualities.
Witch hazel leaves, bark and twigs are used to make lotions and astringents for treating certain skin inflammations and other irritations. Japanese witch hazel, Hamamelis japonica, has showy yellow or red flowers.
Witch hazel works well as a natural remedy because it contains tannins, which when applied to the skin, can help decrease swelling and fight bacteria.
The flowers are able to curl inward to protect the inner structures from freezing during the winter. They unfurl again on milder days.
On this day, temperatures were in the mid-40s. One of my blue peacocks enjoyed the sun from the roof of my Polaris ATV.
Others rested on the other side of the stable on the burlap-covered bird baths.
Wildlife also appreciate witch hazel – leaves are an important food source for native insects and many native birds and animals eat the seeds that follow the flowers in the winter.
Witch hazels need a winter chill to achieve full flowering. For best results, temperatures should drop to at least 30-degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the species and cultivars are hardy down to negative 10-degrees Fahrenheit. Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’ is a popular cultivar with its coppery orange flowers that appear in early to mid-winter.
Each cluster has about 11 to 12 petals, four per flower. Most varieties reach 10 to 20 feet high and wide at maturity, witch hazels can be kept smaller with pruning once they are finished blooming.
The small, tan to gray, hard capsules go dormant throughout the winter and then develop over the next growing season.
Witch hazel will grow in one of six basic shapes – upright, vase-shaped, oval or rounded, spreading, horizontal or weeping.
Yesterday, we cut some branches and placed them in a vase in my servery. I love seeing the witch hazels in bloom.
And look what else is starting to bloom – the winter aconite, Eranthis hyemalis – a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to calcareous woodland habitats in France, Italy and the Balkans, and widely naturalized elsewhere in Europe. Signs of spring are popping up everywhere, but winter is not over yet – we’re expecting an inch or two of snow today.
We’re expecting a mix of sun and clouds in Bedford, New York today with temperatures in the mid-40s - perfect weather for continuing our outdoor work and pre-spring chores.
The crew is busy with many projects, including raking the garden beds, pruning various trees, and blowing all the dead grass and leftover leaves. In the woodland, they are moving cut trees closer to the carriage road, so they can be hauled to our big compost pile in the back field. And in the outbuildings, spring cleaning has begun - windows are getting cleaned inside and out.
It’s a strong start… to a refreshing season ahead. Enjoy these photos.
Over the last few weeks, the crew has been able to get many of the outdoor chores done around the farm. Here comes Chhiring in our new our Kubota M4-071 tractor. He’s transporting wood chips to various areas of the middle field. This is best done when the ground is still frozen, so the wight of the tractor does not create big ruts in the soil. My tractors get lots of use at the farm for pulling or pushing agricultural machinery or trailers, for plowing, transporting mulch and compost, and so much more.
As Chhiring drops piles of wood chips, Pasang spreads them over the area with a rake. These wood chips will degrade over time adding nutrients to the soil.
Here, Pasang, who is a very experienced tree expert, prunes some of the dead branches from this old hickory tree in the run-in field. As he is working, Domi watches from the ground to make sure Pasang works safely and to help get the tree limb down once it is cut.
Pasang uses a STILH chainsaw specially made for using up in trees – it is lightweight and well-balanced for effectively pruning, trimming, and shaping high above the ground. Pasang is also wearing all the necessary equipment, including a harness, to keep him completely safe during the job.
All the cut branches are gathered and placed on the side of the carriage road. They will all be picked up later chipped for top dressing.
Potholes are formed when precipitation seeps into the pavement causing it to expand and contract, and ultimately crack with freezing and thawing. Traffic causes further damage. During the coldest part of the winter, gravel roads at my farm were covered with compacted snow which turned to ice. When all that ice melted, many potholes formed on the road surface.
To repair those potholes, we keep a supply of pea gravel on hand. Here’s Fernando scooping some gravel into one of those potholes.
Next, Fernando tamps down the gravel. A tamp, also called a tamper, is a tool used to compact granular matter such as crushed stone, dirt, sand, or cinders.
The flat, heavy head of the tamper works well at compacting the gravel into the pothole and leveling the ground.
Down at the stable, Pete uses an aluminum grading rake to level the gravel over the carriage road.
On this day, the outdoor grounds crew is moving the big, heavy logs in the woodland. These ash trees were cut down last year because of a great infestation of Emerald Ash Borer disease that has killed many ash trees in the region.
Domi stops to smile for the camera before he chains up this giant tree.
Here’s Brian in the linden tree allee outside my stable. He’s raking old, dead growth from last season’s plants and weeding around any new growth. He’s using a soft rake so as not to damage any of the perennials or the bulbs in the bed – many are already starting to emerge.
In the stable office, Carlos cleans all the windows and doors. This is an interior glass door connecting one of the offices to the front vestibule.
Carlos cleans every windowpane thoroughly – it is so nice to get a head start on our spring cleaning tasks.
Some individuals are very lucky to never get a reaction from poison ivy. Pete is one of them. Here he is pulling down some of the dormant poison ivy vines from the trees. Use caution when doing this – even in the winter when the plants are dormant, they are still toxic!
Poison ivy is a perennial plant that grows back from the roots and often spreads by underground runners. Pete pulls the vines off the trees and then pulls the roots from the ground.
Near one of the old stone walls, Fernando blows the old leaves leftover from last fall. He is using one of our STIHL backpack blowers. We’ve been using STIHL’s blowers for years here at my farm. These blowers are powerful and fuel-efficient. The gasoline-powered engines provide enough rugged power to tackle heavy debris while delivering much lower emissions.
The area looks so much better after a thorough leaf blowing.
Here are Pasang, Chhiring, and Domi after a long day’s work. There’s always lots to do on a working farm to keep everything in excellent condition.
And look, one of the first crocus flowers of spring. It won’t be long now – soon we’ll have so many flowers blooming around the farm. I can’t wait.
Not long ago, I shared photos of my 11 baby Silkie chickens. Since then, the young flock has grown. All of them were incubated and hatched right here at my farm. They’re now about a month old and doing excellently - alert, healthy, and very curious. They will remain indoors until they are old enough to join the others in the chicken coops.
Enjoy these photos.
These babies are so alert. In January, I attended the 2022 Northeastern Poultry Congress – a poultry show held every year in Springfield, Massachusetts. The event features more than 2500 birds, including large fowl, waterfowl, turkeys, pigeons, Guineas, and of course, a variety of wonderful breed chickens. While there, I purchased a group of chickens and some eggs. 11 healthy chicks hatched – all in special incubators set up in my Stable feed room.
As soon as the chicks are able to walk, they’re up and about and playing and interacting with each other. They also peck at each other playfully. There are eight Silkie color varieties accepted by the American Poultry Association. They include black, blue, buff, gray, partridge, splash, and white.
Here is one of the gray Silkie chicks – notice, Silkies have black eyes.
Silkies also have black skin, along with black muscles and bones, and dark beaks, combs, and wattles.
And, Silkies have extra toes, a genetic condition called polydactylly. Most chickens normally have four toes – a few breeds have five, Silkies among them.
If you’re unfamiliar with Silkies, they were originally bred in China. Silkie chickens are known for their characteristically fluffy plumage said to feel silk- or satin-like to the touch.
Silkies grow a bit slower than other chicken breeds and shouldn’t be outside until they have all their feathers and have lost all their fuzz.
These chicks are great eaters, and seem to get bigger and more curious every day.
It is always nice to see such a strong and energetic group of babies.
Because the Silkie’s feathers lack functioning barbicels, similar to down on other birds, they are unable to fly.
Here in the Stable feed room, they are checked several times a day. This room is also free from drafts. Chicks require an air temperature of 95 degrees during the first week, 90 degrees the second week, and so on – going down by around five degrees per week until they’re ready to transition to the coop.
Here’s one at the feeding station. Starter feed is a protein dense variety of chicken feed designed to meet a chick’s dietary requirements. Chicks remain on starter feed for at least the first six weeks and then progress to grower feed.
All my chicks get a balanced diet of medicated chick crumb with some treats and fresh greens from my gardens.
Silkies are adaptable, playful, and friendly. And, they are naturally more calm than most other breeds.
I wonder what their conversations are like. In general, chickens are quite vocal. They make around 30 different calls to communicate with each other, expressing everything from “I am hungry” to “there’s a predator nearby.”
At this stage, these Silkies are already greeting visitors that enter the room – I am looking forward to seeing them mature with the rest of my flock.
Remember these adolescent Silkies I brought home from the same show? These four are doing very well. We put a basket in the pen for the hens. Hopefully, they will start to lay some eggs soon.
Here, one can see their grayish-blue beaks, which are short and quite broad at the base.
Silkie hens or pullets generally mature around eight to 10 months and cockerels about 10 to 12 months. They hit their full size around four or five months and get their first real adult set of feathers about this time as well.
Silkies are relatively long lived for chickens with an average life expectancy of around eight or nine years and they remain productive long after other breeds have stopped laying eggs. This is most likely due to their laid back happy nature and low productivity rates. I am sure they will be very happy here at Cantitoe Corners.
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