- Fothergilla is a genus containing a pair of deciduous shrubs, dwarf fothergilla (F. gardenia) and tall fothergilla (F. major), also called large fothergilla or mountain witch alder. These are what the University of Connecticut Plant Database describes as "excellent" landscaping plants for their many interesting features during the course of the year. The fothergilla shrubs are native to the Southeastern United States but survive in landscapes as chilly as U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone 4.
- Dwarf fothergilla normally grows between 18 inches and 3 feet high with the largest of these shrubs attaining 48 inches. This size makes them appropriate for such landscaping functions as foundation plantings or for massing together in shrub borders, advises the Missouri Botanical Garden. Tall fothergilla is often double the size of dwarf fothergilla or more, growing 8 to 10 feet tall. Tall fothergilla create hedges or place them in naturalized areas, especially those with moist soil.
- The flowers of the fothergillas smell like honey, emerging on spikes shaped like bottlebrushes and lasting about two weeks. Those of tall fothergilla are slightly longer than the flowers of dwarf fothergilla. Both are shades of white. The flowers appear in April and May before the leaves bud out. The dark-green, oval foliage on dwarf fothergilla develops to lengths of 2-½ inches, while the leaves on tall fothergilla are about twice that size. Fall color is often spectacular on both shrubs, including brilliant hues of red, yellow and orange.
- Blue Mist is a dwarf fothergilla from with bluish-green leaves but lacking the vivid fall colors of the parent species. Beaver Creek is a cultivar possessing a denser, more rounded form. Mount Airy is a cultivar of tall fothergilla featuring larger flowers, bluish-green leaves and reliable red-and-yellow autumn foliage. It usually grows to 6 feet high.
previous post