ASK THE LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs & Twigs CELEBRATING 29 YEARS! Q: We put in a witch hazel in 2012 for the February floral burst. It never drops its leaves so the blossoms are hidden. Short of continuing to snip off every leaf in January before bud break how can I encourage complete abscission layer formation and leaf drop in the fall? - Gretchen A: Thank you for a great question. You are observing a shrub with "marcescent" leaves. The term "marcescence" comes from a Latin word meaning "to shrivel"; it refers to dead leaves that remain attached to shrubs or trees all winter long. Normally, as a tree or shrub prepares for winter, the leaves will pass their nutrients back into the stem of the tree or shrub for storage. Then two layers of cells between the base of each leaf and the tree or shrub are formed in what is called the abscission (or separation) zone -one layer of cells that breaks easily because it is very thin and brittle and the other layer on the tree or shrub side that is protective and "corky". Some years, the winter frost arrives too soon and kills the leaves before the abscission process is completed. Some varieties of yellow-flowered witch- hazels tend to hang on to their old, dead leaves all winter long, which, as you point out, makes it difficult to see the flowers that bloom. Short of continuing to do what you have been doing, i.e., cutting off the dead leaves by hand, there is not much else you can do. The good news is that as the plant matures, this characteristic may disappear completely and marcescence will no longer be an issue. Good luck. THESE ARTICLES ARE GOING DIGITAL! DON'T MISS OUT! SCAN THE QR, SIGN UP & SUBMIT YOUR OWN QUESTIONS Sprigs & Twigs WWW.SPRIGSANDTWIGS.NET | 860-235-0752 ASK THE LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs & Twigs CELEBRATING 29 YEARS ! Q : We put in a witch hazel in 2012 for the February floral burst . It never drops its leaves so the blossoms are hidden . Short of continuing to snip off every leaf in January before bud break how can I encourage complete abscission layer formation and leaf drop in the fall ? - Gretchen A : Thank you for a great question . You are observing a shrub with " marcescent " leaves . The term " marcescence " comes from a Latin word meaning " to shrivel " ; it refers to dead leaves that remain attached to shrubs or trees all winter long . Normally , as a tree or shrub prepares for winter , the leaves will pass their nutrients back into the stem of the tree or shrub for storage . Then two layers of cells between the base of each leaf and the tree or shrub are formed in what is called the abscission ( or separation ) zone -one layer of cells that breaks easily because it is very thin and brittle and the other layer on the tree or shrub side that is protective and " corky " . Some years , the winter frost arrives too soon and kills the leaves before the abscission process is completed . Some varieties of yellow - flowered witch- hazels tend to hang on to their old , dead leaves all winter long , which , as you point out , makes it difficult to see the flowers that bloom . Short of continuing to do what you have been doing , i.e. , cutting off the dead leaves by hand , there is not much else you can do . The good news is that as the plant matures , this characteristic may disappear completely and marcescence will no longer be an issue . Good luck . THESE ARTICLES ARE GOING DIGITAL ! DON'T MISS OUT ! SCAN THE QR , SIGN UP & SUBMIT YOUR OWN QUESTIONS Sprigs & Twigs WWW.SPRIGSANDTWIGS.NET | 860-235-0752