Plant of the week: Vernal Witchhazel.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

_Botanical name: Hamamelis vernalis.

_Attributes: The first shrub or flower to bloom each year. A large, deciduous shrub with lustrous, green, scorch-proof foliage in summer and beautiful fall color varying from yellow to red and burgundy. The shrub is native to the Ozarks and nowhere else so is very tolerant of weather extremes and our heavy soils. It has unique seed pods that open in late fall, hurling the shiny black seeds a surprising distance.

_Vernal Witchhazel blooms anywhere from January to March depending on the severity of the winter. If severe cold returns, flowers protect themselves by rolling up and opening later when milder weather returns.

_Bloom color: The tiny, fragrant spidery flowers are yellow, orange or red tones.

_Culture: Plant Vernal Witchhazel from containers anytime the soil is workable. They do best in average to moist soil and must be watered their first year or until established. They thrive in full sun or shade, being a more dense shrub in sun.

_Landscaping tips: A tough native shrub that ...