My wife and I took advantage of a beautiful day to work on garden cleanup.  The wind and rain yesterday brought down a lot of the leaves which will end up in the compost pile. While cleaning up the garden my thoughts turn to spring and changes that will be made.  Many of the beds are over due for a makeover.  One of my favorite plants is our native witchhazel (Hamaelis viginiana) which is blooming now. All the other species of witchhazel bloom from late winter to early spring. The plant in my garden has larger and fuller flowers than the ones I see growing in nearby woods.   Fothergilla gardenii or dwarf fothergilla is another native shrub that lights up the fall landscape with its yellow to orange leaves which change color after most plants have already drop their leaves . Both the witchhazel and fothergilla (which are members of the same family) bring color into the garden late in the season.