Witch Hazel - The Perfect Winter Addition To Your Garden

Most people have heard of witch hazel. The first thing they think of when the name is mentioned is the ointment that is such a boon when it comes to bruises of all kinds. Many people can remember being treated with this delight when they were children.

Have you ever seen witch hazel growing in the garden?

You may have done at some point, but the chances are you won't have been familiar with its appearance. For most people the familiarity ends with the name. As you will see winter is the best time of year to go out and discover what witch hazel has to offer.

Witch hazel is more properly known as Hamamelis. As with many plants there are many different types of the Hamamelis variety. Look out for Barmstedt Gold for example, with its beautiful yellow flowers. Rubin and Diane are two other varieties of witch hazel that will provide a good splash of rich red in your garden at the right time of year.

Winter is a month that often sees us staying indoors out of the cold weather. The garden can look somewhat lost and lonely at this time of year, mainly because many plants are waiting until at least the spring to unfurl their delights for us to see.

Witch hazel is different. This is an early bloomer and as such it makes a good solid addition to any garden. If you have been caught out by a late burst of winter after planting out some new additions to your garden in the past, you won't have to worry so much about witch hazel. This is a very hardy plant and it can withstand some tough conditions.

The flowers of the witch hazel look almost like streamers as they unfurl and come out to greet you. They can often be among the first flowers you will see in your garden at this time of year, and as such they can look stunning. An acidic soil will be best loved by the witch hazel plant, whichever variety you decide to go for.

The good news is that you can enjoy your witch hazel blooms well into the summer months as well. If you have decided to go out and buy your very first witch hazel plant to add to your garden, be sure you don't have a strict budget in place. Deciduous shrubs like this one tend to be quite expensive, although the cost is well worth the reward you get in return.

Opting for cheaper plants usually does not pay off, since the quality will be less. But provided you bear this in mind and choose your varieties of Hamamelis carefully, you should be rewarded with a wonderful display in your garden.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com

About The Author:

Paul Buchanan writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Why Choose Bamboo Shades for Your Home Decorating Ideas

When you are planning on decorating your home with the use of bamboo shades, you are actually doing yourself a big favor. There are so many ways you can decorate your home with the use of these window shades and all you have to do is use your imagination when doing so. These shades are not only used for covering up your windows with when you want to get some shade from the sun or when you want to cover your windows up from the world outside. You can use these shades as decorative pieces and here are a few ways you can do that. If you know how to paint and you want to personalize your bamboo shades to look more like something that belongs with your present color scheme, here is something you can do. If your living space has the sunset or autumn color palette and you want your window shades to go with your present color scheme, you can easily paint your window shades to fit this palette. You can do this by buying paints in the same color as you living area, in this case oranges, beiges and browns. You will then need to paint over the whole shade with one of these colors or spray it. If you want a more dramatic look for your shades, you can try and paint a few colors on it in an abstract design with a lighter base or darker base and the other colors splashed on or painted on in different free flowing shapes or splashes, depending upon how you feel like painting it. If painting is not your thing, you can actually just leave your bamboo shades as is and make them fit your current color palette by adding accents to these window shades with the use of valances and other window treatments. You can always try to use the same kind of cloth that you use on your throw pillows or sofa cushions for the valances and window treatments that you use with these shades. One of the things you can do when you are thinking of using window treatments on your window shades is to get a long bolt of cloth that is similar to the fabric that you use on your living area throw pillows or cushions. Cut two equal lengths of these in the same height as your shades to hang from both ends of it. Have these two long cloth pieces hemmed on all four sides and have a dowel attached to the bottom of each to weigh them down when they hang from your window. Attach these two to the two ends of your shades as an attractive tie-in to your living-area's color palette. You can also use one long piece of cloth that is also edged or hemmed and simply hang this onto each end of the bamboo shades, as you would a shawl on your shoulder, and have the middle part droop a little to give it a more decorative and somewhat artistic appeal. You can pin the cloth to the two ends of the window shades to have it stay put and you can also add dowels to each end of the cloth to help weigh it down as well. Jennie Keithson is a decorative type, a designer who loves to write and is a educated home and office planner, who discusses bamboo shades, with all of her window shades buyers. Check out her store for more info.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com About The Author:When you are planning on decorating your home with the use of bamboo shades, you are actually doing yourself a big favor. There are so many ways you can decorate your home with the use of these window shades and all you have to do is use your imagination when doing so. These shades are not only used for covering up your windows with when you want to keep the sun out or when you want to cover your windows up from the world outside. You can use these shades as decorative pieces and here are a few ways you can do that