Dwarf Fothergilla

(Hamamelidaceae - Witch Hazel Family)

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• Form
  • small ornamental shrub
  • slowly maturing to 3' tall by 3' wide
  • upright rounded growth habit, becoming globular with age
  • slow growth rate

• Culture
  • full sun to full shade
  • needs well-drained, evenly moist, rich, acidic soil in partial sun to partial shade for best performance; however, it is highly adaptable to dry soils if placed in shade, and is also adaptable to neutral or slightly alkaline pH soils
  • propagated primarily by rooted stem cuttings
  • Witch Hazel Family, with few disease or pest problems
  • commonly available in container form

• Foliage
  • leaves may emerge bronzed or light green, but change to gray-green, dark green, or blue-green
  • alternate, broadly obovate, up to 3" long, with a short pubescent petiole, crenate margins on the upper half of the leaf blade, impressed (sunken) veins, and an asymmetrical leaf base
  • fall color is often a vibrant mixture of green, yellow, orange, pink, violet, and scarlet on the same plant at the same time, coloring from October to early November and often showy, especially when placed in full sun to partial sun; sunny sites predominate with shades of red, violet, and orange, while shady sites predominate with shades of green, yellow, and orange

• Flowers
  • emerging green-white and changing to white, apetalous, with the showy portions being the elongated white filaments that expand from the light green oval inflorescences, resembling a bottlebrush (up to 2" long by 1" wide)
  • appearing in late April or early May just as the leaves start to emerge, effective for one to two weeks

• Fruits
  • small green capsules mature to olive-brown, and are noticeable but not ornamentally effective

• Twigs
  • thin, light tan, and zig-zag, becoming gray on the mature branches
  • lightly pubescent twigs are terminated by very pubescent buds, many of which are relatively large ovoid floral buds

• Trunk
  • not applicable

• ID Summary
  • obovate, crenate leaves have impressed veins and are often grey-green to blue-green on zig-zag twigs, with an outstanding mixed fall color, even in shade
  • apetalous inflorescences occur in early Spring, with the showy portions being the long white filaments that emerge from otherwise greenish inflorescences, and have a short bottlebrush appearance

• Function
  • foundation, entranceway, facer, group or mass planting, multi-season accent, or specimen shrub, often in shady spots

• Texture
  • medium texture in foliage and when bare
  • thick density in foliage and average density when bare

• Assets
  • showy greenish-white, bottlebrush-like inflorescences in early Spring
  • brilliant mixed fall color
  • tight and compact growth habit
  • adaptable to dry soils of neutral to alkaline pH

• Liabilities
  • slow growth
  • prefers an acidic, moist, well-drained, rich soil for best performance
  • some shrubs may sucker from the roots with age, forming a small colony

• Habitat
  • zones 5 to 8
  • native to the Southeastern United States

• Alternates
  • companion shrubs for shady spots (Buxus, Kalmia, Leucothoe, Pieris, Rhododendron [including Azaleas], etc.) - most of these require moist, well-drained, acidid soils

• Variants
  • Fothergilla gardenii 'Blue Mist' - foliage is a distinctive blue-green, with best summer foliage color achieved in partial to full shade, but overall vigor and fall color is inferior to the species form or other cultivars
  • Fothergilla gardenii 'Mount Airy' - more vigorous and upright in growth habit (to 4' tall by 3' wide) but also more leggy and suckering than the species form, with more abundant flowers and even better fall color than the species form, becoming more common in the nursery trade

• Translation
  • Fothergilla is named after the physician Dr. John Fothergill of 18th century England, who grew American plants.
  • gardenii is named after Dr. Alexander Garden, a Scottish physician and botanist who lived in South Carolina where the plant is native, and also for whom the Gardenia is named.

• Purpose
  • Dwarf Fothergilla is a moist soil-loving, shade-loving, acid soil-preferring shrub with Spring and Autumn ornamental interests, often utilized as a specimen, group planting, or facer shrub.

• Summary
  • Fothergilla gardenii is a compact small shrub with showy white-green flowers in mid-Spring and vibrant late Autumn foliage, the latter often being a mixture of green, yellow, orange, red, and violet colors in sunny or shady sites.