Plants of the Week: March 14

Spring has sprung! Cornus mas ‘Golden Glory’ is awash in star-like yellow blossoms. The flowers, borne in umbels, create buttons of color along the branches and open well before the leaves emerge. Cultivars of Cornelian cherry dogwood are more floriferous than the species. An impressive specimen can be seen by Bond Hall. Photo credit: J. Coceano

Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Westerstede’ was introduced by Heinrich Bruns of Westerstede, Germany. The cultivar was named after the town where he once maintained a nursery. Pure yellow flowers, borne in abundance, have straight yellow petals rather than crinkly ones. Photo credit: J. Coceano

Magnolia denudata ‘Swarthmore Sentinel’ flowers are beginning to open! This magnolia is always one of the first to bloom. The species proclivity for early blooming – the specific epithet denudata means barren or leafless; the conjunction with the tree’s location – westward facing against a stone building – helps hasten flowering and signals the approaching spring season. Photo credit: J. Coceano