The plant of the month for February is Vernal Witchhazel, it is an outdoor native shrub that is one of the first plants to bloom in the Chicago area. Its small, slender petals of fragrant, yellow to red flowers appear in February, opening fully on warm days and curling tightly on colder ones. Witchhazel will brighten any landscape during the long winter months. What a delight to come across its unexpected color on a frosty February morning or to see its unusual threadlike yellow flowers peeping out from under a layer of snow. These spreading shrubs do quite well in naturalized settings with moist soil and will display beautiful fall color if given enough sun.