Comment

Comment by Joan Denoo on February 17, 2013 at 2:07pm

It seems they have common ancestry from 

Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots

and then branch. 

When you wrote they were related, I didn't think so. I grew and accidentally killed a filbert and I have a very healthy witch-hazel; they don't look like each other ... at least in my estimation. 

My filbert was a Harry Lauder's Walking stick and it had very small catkins. Your catkins look huge ... there is nothing I can see in the photo to give perspective. How long are those lovely blossoms. 

If squirrels plant them, you should have a nice grove coming up. 

This is how my filbert looked before I killed the poor thing trying to get rid of mint growing under it. The mint was completely filling in the branches of the tree and I could have just grasped them out. But no! I used Roundup, thinking I was protecting the tree. Well, I got rid of the Roundup after that. 

Here is a pretty orchard I found on Google:

Comment by Idaho Spud on February 17, 2013 at 12:38pm

Interesting flowers.  Reminds me of the FSM.

Comment by Sentient Biped on February 17, 2013 at 4:28am

Arbor day foundation wants people to plant hazelnuts.  I didn't know that when I planted mine.  Some of my hazelnut trees are squirrel-planted.  Might bear in a couple more years.  To small now.  Moved them to better location this winter.

Can't decide if I should say "filbert" or "Hazelnut".  

They have many benefits.

I would be happy just to get a few nuts from my trees.  I planted them as a potentially compact growing part of my little mini-orchard.  Each year, the squirrels strip them bare just before they ripen.  With a larger place now, I moved them to provide some privacy and will let them grow bigger.  More nuts?  Or more squirrels?  If the latter, maybe the local hawks will be happy.

Witch Hazel-

from the classification you provided, I guess not related to hazelnuts.  Strange.  I bought a small one to plant but haven't figured out where, yet.

Pics from wikipedia.  To my untrained eye, the growth habit and leaves remind me of hazelnut.  I guess that was true for whoever named them, too.

Comment by Joan Denoo on February 17, 2013 at 3:38am

According to Wikipedea:
"Corylus maxima, the filbert, is a species of hazel native to southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia, from the Balkans to Ordu in Turkey.[1]"

I didn't know that.

Filbert fruit, showing the elongated tubular involucre
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Betulaceae
Genus: Corylus
Species: C. maxima

Witch-hazel

Hamamelis virginiana

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Hamamelidaceae
Genus: Hamamelis

Comment by Chris Breman on February 17, 2013 at 12:45am

Beautiful picture, Sentient! Here the frost is disappearing but in my roof garden it's at least 4°C higher. Nothing blooms yet, but there are some buds in the rosemary.

Comment by Sentient Biped on February 16, 2013 at 7:02pm

What's Blooming?  Feb 2013.  In my maritime Pacific NW yard, there's not much.  Helleborus continues to bloom.  There's one cute little weed, name I don't know, blue flower, in bloom.  Some dandelions.  The brave pioneer, is the filbert (hazelnut).

 

I moved these trees last fall. Guess I didn't kill them. The long sscaley catkin is the pollen bearing male flower (stamens). The little red tuft is the female flower (pistils).

I'm guessing filberts are cousins of Witch Hazel, which also blooms now.

Comment by Sentient Biped on February 16, 2013 at 11:48am

Annie, this type of hive has bars along the top - not in this photo - that honey bees use to hang their combs from.  It's called a "top bar hive".  It does not have frames per se.  There is less re-use of honeycomb with this hive, which means it's more sanitary for the bees.  Since they make more new comb, which requires energy, there is less honey.  Proponents think it's healthier for the bees.

Today, planning on planting some potatoes, and getting started on setup of another raised bed for vegetables.  If it is all together this weekend, some more peas, onions, and cole crops as Spud is planning.  Better get busy.

Comment by Idaho Spud on February 16, 2013 at 10:20am

Sentient, I also love the natural cedar wood.  A few months ago, my neighbor put up a very beautiful short cedar fence, which made me say wow!  Most attractive fence I've ever seen!  Then, a week later, I looked out and found it painted it a very dark brown, and I said Oh No! Ugly!

Joan, you got me thinking.  Right away I think I'll start some peas, garlic, onion and several kinds of Cole crops.  It got to 50 degrees here last week and I see at least one of my cauliflower plants that never produced a curd last fall is still alive, so perhaps it will this year.

Comment by Annie Thomas on February 16, 2013 at 6:38am

Sentient- what a gorgeous beehive!  I have never seen that style either.  Does it have frames that go inside each of the compartments?  Or something else? 

Comment by Joan Denoo on February 16, 2013 at 12:32am

Sentient, that is a beautiful beehive; never seen one like that before. Is there some other wood preserver than white paint. I, like you, like the wood color. Is wood stain harmful to bees? 

Oh! there are many beehives with your shape. I have never seen them before. 

bee hives for sale

Your "Peach Cobbler" is so pretty. 

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