Fothergilla spp.
Fothergilla, Fothergilla spp., is a woody shrub within the Hamamelidaceae or witch hazel household suited to cultivation USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to eight.
It blooms in early spring, infusing gardens with a honey-sweet perfume.
![A close up horizontal image of fothergilla in full bloom in the garden.](https://gardenerspath.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/How-to-Grow-Fothergilla-Feature.jpg)
We hyperlink to distributors that will help you discover related merchandise. In the event you purchase from considered one of our hyperlinks, we may earn a commission.
In the summertime, leathery darkish inexperienced foliage offers a wealthy backdrop to annuals and perennials.
It lights up the autumn panorama with orange, purple, purple, and yellow leaves for a spectacular end-of-season show.
Learn on for all you have to know to domesticate fothergilla in your out of doors dwelling area.
Right here’s what we’ll cowl:
Let’s begin with a little bit of background.
Cultivation and Historical past
Fothergilla is native to the southern United States. It was named for British doctor and plant collector John Fothergill, who introduced American species to England throughout the 18th century.
![A close up horizontal image of fothergilla foliage with small flower buds forming, pictured on a soft focus background.](https://gardenerspath.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Fothergilla-Foliage.jpg)
Shrubs have a clumping type with attractively zigzagging branches and darkish inexperienced to blue-green, leathery foliage with deep ridges.
The shrubs are monoecious, which implies they produce each female and male flowers and these are mixed in the identical inflorescence.
The feminine flowers are nondescript, whereas the male blooms are pollinator magnets. They’ve petal-less, creamy white stamens that resemble bottle brushes with a honey-like perfume, that bloom for 2 to a few weeks in spring.
Current analysis has confirmed 4 distinct species throughout the genus:
- F. gardenii, dwarf or coastal fothergilla or witch alder
- F. main, tall or mountain fothergilla or witch alder
- F. milleri, dwarf witch alder
- F. parvifolia, Kearney’s dwarf witch alder
The three dwarf species are so related that many horticulturists contemplate them to be variations of F. gardenii and refer to those vegetation merely as “dwarf” or “giant” fothergilla.
F. gardenii and F. main are the 2 you might be more than likely to seek out when purchasing for shrubs.
Alabama fothergilla was beforehand categorized as a definite species, F. monticola, however it’s now thought-about to be F. main.
Dwarf species and cultivated varieties are finest suited to Zones 5 to eight. They develop to mature dimensions of 18 to 36 inches tall and 24 to 48 inches extensive.
Progress is compact and bushy, the flowers seem earlier than the foliage, and the leaves have symmetrical bases.
![A close up horizontal image of a single fothergilla flower with foliage in soft focus in the background.](https://gardenerspath.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Single-Fothergilla-Flower.jpg)
Massive sorts develop finest in Zones 4 to eight, reaching six to 10 ft tall with a width of 5 to 9 ft.
They’ve an upright, spreading development behavior, and bloom on the identical time the leaves emerge. The leaves are bigger than these of the dwarf species, and the bases are asymmetrical.
There are additionally hybrid varieties categorized as Fothergilla x intermedia.
![A close up vertical image of a fossilized fothergilla leaf.](https://gardenerspath.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Fossilized-Fothergilla.jpg)
Along with the species talked about, fossilized specimens of two US species, F. malloryi and F. praeolata, and others in China and Japan point out that the Fothergilla genus dates again tens of millions of years.
This implies an environmental resilience seemingly accountable for its exemplary pest and illness resistance, and desirability as a industrial and residential panorama shrub.
Fothergilla Propagation
There are a few methods to propagate your personal fothergilla shrubs, together with from cuttings and by transplanting nursery begins. Ranging from seed will not be really helpful for residence growers.
Let’s check out every of those.
From Seed
Fothergilla disperses seeds in a projectile style at season’s finish.
Collected seeds are troublesome to sprout as they require each scarification to weaken the seed coat and cold-stratification to organize the seed for germination.
![A close up horizontal image of seed pods forming on a fothergilla shrub pictured on a dark background.](https://gardenerspath.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Fothergilla-Seed-Pods.jpg)
It may take between 9 and 15 months for seeds to germinate.
Additionally, seeds from hybrids and different cultivated varieties might not be viable. If they’re, they received’t produce true replicas of the father or mother vegetation.
To clone a favourite, take mushy stem or sucker cuttings.
From Sucker Cuttings
Suckers are child vegetation that emerge from the crown beside the father or mother within the spring.
With out pruning, suckers create a colony of shrubs, which can be fascinating should you’re rising fothergilla for privacy hedging.
To take away a sucker for propagation, select one that’s not less than 4 inches tall.
Use sanitary shears to sever it cleanly at its base, taking care to not harm neighboring plant tissue or depart jagged edges that will invite pests and pathogens.
Recut the stem just under the bottom leaf node, a pure rising level.
Dip the minimize finish into rooting hormone powder.
Place the stem in a four-inch seed starter pot crammed three-quarters stuffed with potting soil at a depth just under the bottom remaining leaf.
If there may be tip foliage along with the bottom leaf, pinch off the latest development on the tip.
Put the pot in vivid, oblique daylight and hold the soil evenly moist however not waterlogged.
New leaves signify the profitable institution of roots and readiness for transplant.
From Softwood Stem Cuttings
To take a softwood stem slicing:
Lower a four-inch size of soppy, inexperienced stem just under a leaf or leaf node. The stem ought to be lengthy sufficient that it has a number of leaf nodes.
Pinch or snip off the bottom leaf and the tip development, then dip the minimize finish of the stem into rooting hormone powder.
Insert the dipped stem right into a four-inch seed starter pot three-quarters stuffed with potting medium to a depth just under the bottom leaf.
Moisten the soil and hold it evenly moist throughout institution. Place the pot in vivid, oblique daylight.
When new development seems, transplant the slicing to the backyard earlier than summer time’s finish to provide it time to determine earlier than the primary frost.
Some gardeners additionally take greenwood cuttings a bit later in the summertime, but when there isn’t sufficient time for the slicing to root and develop foliage earlier than first frost, you’ll need to retailer the pots indoors for the winter and plant them out the next spring.
Transplanting
When transferring a seedling, rooted slicing, or nursery plant to the backyard, you have to set it barely increased than the bottom stage to facilitate extra water runoff.
To plant, work the soil to a depth of 12 inches and not less than twice as extensive as the foundation ball till it’s crumbly and free from particles and rocks.
Amend with compost as wanted to acidify the rising atmosphere.
Elevate transplants barely above floor stage. The sort of mounding units the crown, the place the roots and stems meet, excessive to make sure the sufficient drainage fothergilla requires.
Backfill and tamp down firmly. Water effectively and tamp once more to deflate air pockets.
Hold the brand new begins evenly moist however not waterlogged till they turn into established. New foliar development signifies success.
The way to Develop Fothergilla
F. main and F. gardenii favor full solar to partial shade and organically wealthy, barely acidic to impartial soil with a pH of 5.0 to 7.0.
Conduct a soil test as wanted to find out the rising circumstances in your backyard.
Moisture wants are reasonable, and as soon as established, these shrubs have above common drought tolerance.
![A close up horizontal image of the flowers of a fothergilla shrub pictured in light sunshine on a soft focus background.](https://gardenerspath.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Fothergilla-Flowers.jpg)
Throughout institution, keep even moisture with out oversaturation after which provide an inch of water per week within the absence of rain.
If you’re rising a number of standalone shrubs, be aware the anticipated mature width and permit sufficient area between specimens to realize it.
For hedges, nearer planting improves density, however the middle of every plant ought to be not less than 12 to 24 inches aside to keep away from root crowding.
Rising Ideas
- Plant in full solar or half shade.
- Develop in organically wealthy soil with a pH of 5 to 7.
- Present an inch of water per week.
Pruning and Upkeep
In early spring, take away suckers that develop across the shrubs per the directions within the propagation part above, until you need to encourage the shrubs to tackle a multi-branch type and colonize the world.
Amend the backyard soil with an acidic compost, comparable to pine bark or shredded leaves, to complement and acidify it.
Fertilize a couple of times within the spring with an acidifier, like Holly-Tone, per bundle directions.
Holly Tone has a 4-3-4 NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) ratio. It’s natural and breaks down naturally, infusing soil with vitamins and acidity.
Holly Tone is available from Espoma via Amazon.
After the flowers end blooming, prune branches as desired to take away useless materials, form, or shorten. For directions, see our guide to pruning shrubs and woody plants.
Fothergilla Cultivars to Choose
When deciding on species and cultivars, contemplate rising zones, dimension, summer time and fall leaf coloration, and any highlights famous in plant descriptions.
Listed here are some choices to think about:
Blue Shadow
F. main ‘Blue Shadow’ is a cultivated tall selection with mature dimensions of 5 to 6 ft tall and extensive.
The spring and summer time foliage is a hanging blue-green that shades to orange, purple, and yellow in autumn.
F. main ‘Blue Shadow’ is available from Nature Hills Nursery.
Dwarf Fothergilla
Dwarf F. gardenii has darkish inexperienced foliage, white blossoms, and spectacular fall yellows, reds, and oranges. It grows as much as three ft tall and extensive.
It’s the straight species discovered within the wilds of the southern United States.
Dwarf F. gardenii is out there from DAS Farms via Amazon. Vegetation are one- to two-feet-tall in one-gallon pots with soilless media for delivery.
Mount Ethereal
F. main ‘Mount Ethereal’ is a tall cultivar that prefers full solar and matures to a peak of 5 to 6 ft with an expansion of 4 to 5 ft.
Its leathery inexperienced foliage shades to blue-gray in the summertime and bursts into orange, purple, purple, and yellow within the fall.
F. main ‘Mount Ethereal’ is available from Nature Hills Nursery in #3 containers.
Managing Pests and Illness
Whereas not liable to pests or illness, fothergilla might fall sufferer to both or each if weakened by poor rising circumstances, comparable to an iron deficiency inflicting chlorotic or yellow leaves.
![A close up horizontal image of fothergilla foliage suffering from iron deficiency growing in the garden.](https://gardenerspath.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Fothergilla-Shrub-with-Iron-Deficiency.jpg)
The first illness of concern is Pseudocercospora leaf spot attributable to the fungal pathogen Pseudocercospora fothergillae.
Signs embrace brown recognizing, leaf browning, and leaf drop. Environmental stress and oversaturated circumstances favor fungal growth.
There aren’t any severe pest points related to vegetation within the Fothergilla genus.
Greatest Makes use of for Fothergilla
The stature of the shrubs you select helps decide their finest panorama placements.
![A close up horizontal image of fothergilla 'Mount Airy' shrubs growing as a hedge in the garden with fall foliage in shades of yellow, orange, and red.](https://gardenerspath.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Mount-Airy-Fothergilla-Hedge.jpg)
Tall species and cultivars make glorious privateness hedges, particularly should you enable the suckers to stay in place to create density.
Dwarf sorts are suited to low-profile hedging, basis placements, blended shrub groupings, backyard beds and borders, and standalone specimen positions.
Fast Reference Rising Information
Plant Sort: | Woody shrub | Flower/Foliage Coloration | White / inexperienced, blue-green |
Native to: | North America | Tolerance: | Drought |
Hardiness (USDA Zone): | 4-8 | Upkeep: | Low |
Bloom Time/Season: | Spring | Soil Sort: | Organically wealthy |
Publicity: | Full solar to half shade | Soil pH: | 5.0-7.0 |
Spacing: | 24-48 inches (dwarf), 5-9 ft (tall) | Soil Drainage: | Properly-draining |
Planting Depth: | Crown barely above soil stage | Attracts: | Pollinators |
Top: | 18-36 inches (dwarf), 6-10 ft (tall) | Makes use of: | Mattress, border, basis planting, hedging, blended group, privateness display, specimen |
Unfold: | 24-48 inches (dwarf), 5-9 ft (tall) | Order: | Saxifragales |
Progress Charge: | Sluggish | Household: | Hamamelidaceae |
Water Wants: | Average | Genus: | Fothergilla |
Frequent Pests and Ailments: | No important pests, Pseudocercospora leaf spot | Species: | Gardenii, main, milleri, parvifolia |
A 4-Season Shrub
Fothergilla is a low-maintenance shrub for full solar to half shade placements with wealthy, moist, well-draining soil.
Within the spring, it wakes gardens up with creamy, honey-scented bottle brush blooms, adopted by summer time’s richly textured blue to blue-green foliage.
Within the autumn sunshine, orange, purple, purple, and yellow gentle up, adopted by a winterscape of stark zigzagging branches and the promise of spring’s return.
It’s time so as to add fothergilla to your garden planner for a shrub that rewards with year-round backyard enchantment.
Do you develop fothergilla shrubs? Please share your expertise within the feedback part under.
In the event you discovered this rising information informative and need to read about more spring-flowering shrubs, we advocate the next articles subsequent: