Reflect

The witch-hazel shrub blooms beautiful flowers in the middle of winter. It offers a dash of color in a season that can be bleak. In order to thrive, it requires full sun to partial shade with moist, well-drained, and slightly acidic soil. Plant it in hard clay or alkaline soil and it is finished. When properly planted, the witch-hazel shrub can become a tree and drop its seeds 30 feet away, bringing more color to grey seasons. As any gardener knows, the future of a garden depends on how you tend to each plant’s unique conditions for thriving — pruning, compost, propagation, weeding, light, water, and drainage. Neglect the plant’s needs and you get rot or withering. Like a gardener, we must be mindful of the needs of our Earth, family, community, and ourselves. When we neglect something, it dies or gets damaged, often leaving little or nothing for those who come next.