By Mary Bowe, Burkholder Landscape Designer

Spring is here, and beautiful lawns are on the minds of many homeowners. Having one of the most attractive lawns on the block takes planning and time. You might even be wondering if you should make a call about lawn care and maintenance services. Burkholder Landscape offers great lawn care programs for all size landscapes and we have some beautiful flowering plant and shrub options in our Outdoor Living & Design Center that can help make your lawn stand out.

A wonderful and colorful part of the early spring landscape is any of the variety of Witchhazels. If you have noticed bursts of yellow flowers beginning in mid-February these are not Forsythia, they are Witchhazel! ‘Arnold Promise’ Witchhazel is a personal favorite for gardens where windows from the home look out to them. Just as you think winter will never end, you glance out the window and there is a beautiful shrub with delicate yellow or orange flowers you never expected!

Witchhazels are large shrubs with strong interest in every season but surprisingly uncommon in our gardens.

The vase shape of the Witchhazel, slow growth and size of approximately 12’ H&W over a 15-year period make it a stand out for buffer plantings and potentially as a small tree for patios.

The bright flowers and mild fragrance in late winter are standout features surpassed only by the brilliant yellow-gold to orange fall color. Set amongst evergreen trees and shrubs in a privacy screen the vivid colors from late winter flowers and autumn leaves make a conventional privacy buffer outstanding.

The Witchhazel likes average soils and does well in either full sun or partial-shade, so this shrub is a great addition to any outdoor landscape. I highly recommend this plant and other Witchhazels like it: The ‘Diane’ has copper red flowers, the ‘Jelena’ has brilliant copper flowers, and the ‘Ruby Glow’ has coppery red flowers.

Trust Burkholder for Landscape Inspiration and All Your Lawn Care and Maintenance Services

For landscape inspiration, come visit our Outdoor Design Center. This spring we have some great events that allow local residents to visit, ask questions and we are even holding some “How-to” workshops that could be just what you need to jump start your spring landscape. To learn more about our events or our lawn care and maintenance services, contact Burkholder today.