OAR AND HAZEL.
A winter visitor to Kew Gardens will always envy two trees and wonder why they are not more widely spread. One is the large-leaved oak, which, though not strictly an evergreen, like the holm oak, keeps hold of its dark green leaves through the winter. The other is the witch-hazel, whose flowers, as quaint in form as in colour, precede even the laurustinus and give the pleasurable sense of coming spring that is for- bidden to the evergreen. The tree is interesting in many ways, not least for its medicinal virtues and the peculiar value of its essential juices to the human skin. But it is worth growing in every garden solely for its quaintness and earliness. It is as eminent for its winter as the liquidambar for its autumn qualities. Both are worth the while of any gardener.
Previous page
