Plant Profile - Fabulous Fothergillas
Fothergilla bottle-brush flowers and quilted leaves
While technically not native to our immediate area (it is native to North Carolina and further south), Fothergilla is a fabulous shrub to grow. It is cold hardy in our region and adaptable.
It is truly a four season plant. In spring it produces white bottle-brush shaped blooms with a soft, honey-like fragrance. The flowers appear before the foliage completely matures so they really show off. Bees love them. Once the flowers fade, the fresh green foliage takes over. The leaves look quilted or folded and generally stay clean and fresh-looking all season.
In fall the leaves turn various shades of yellow, orange, red and burgundy – sometimes all on the same leaf! The leaf color seems to vary from year to year based on weather conditions but it is always delightful.
Fothergilla is even interesting in winter because the gray stems zig-zag from bud to bud, creating an interesting structure.
Fothergilla major in bloom
There are only two species of this south-eastern US native plant: large fothergilla (Fothergilla major) and dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii). There is little difference between them other than size. The large can grow to 10 feet tall, while the dwarf usually tops out at 3.
There are several cultivars available. One of my favorite varieties is ‘Mt. Airy’. It is a naturally occurring cross of the 2 species discovered at Mount Airy Arboretum in Cincinnati, Ohio. ‘Mt. Airy’ tops out at about 6 feet tall, has larger flowers than the dwarf species and retains great fall color.
Lovely fall color. (Photo by Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, Creative Commons)
Fothergilla likes full sun to part shade, with better flowering and fall color with more sun. It prefers a moist but well drained acidic soil, but can tolerate some drought once established. It is somewhat slow growing, but tough and dependable once established. Well established plants may sucker at the base some but not at all aggressively.
They are not a favorite of deer or rabbits – and are typically listed as deer resistant. In my experience they can get nibbled some, but I’ve never had any seriously chomped.
Want more information? Here are some links:
Penn State: Fothergilla—A Four Season Shrub to Consider for Your Garden