Fothergilla , a native North American shrub , flourish in suspect gardens and offers all - time of year interest for little elbow grease .
Fothergilla ( a.k.a . witch - alder tree ) is a deciduous bush that deserves a shoes in every shade garden . The North American native is beloved for its brushy , beloved - sweet spring blooms and loose , Laputan drug abuse — but the shrub offer all - time of year interest . Its leathery green leaves turn to fiery shadowiness of reddish , orange , and brilliantly yellow in fall and its knot , zigzag - zag branch social organisation add interest to wintertime landscape . Even considerably , this modest - upkeep shrub do as a wildlife nectar source and nesting spot whilealso being deer - tolerant .
Where to Plant Fothergilla
witch alder is a slowly - originate , mound shrub that works beautifully as afoundation plant . Place several in a line near a partially shaded entryway and add large clumps of daffodils , snowdrops , and other preferred springiness light bulb for a sheer early - time of year show of color . Or , imbed them near a terrace where you may enjoy the sweet-scented fragrancy of their bound bottle - thicket - comparable bloom .
Fothergilla look particularly at menage in woodland garden setting where its intimate social organisation can be appreciated . Add fothergillas to a recurrent garden , cottage garden , or shrub border for a sheer showing of fall color at the close of the season . Plant it alongsideviburnum , spicebush , and elderberry to create a rich wildlife habitat in your landscape . The fothergilla ’s round , dense shape also blends well with a host of dissimilar garden plants and container combinations .
How and When to Plant Fothergilla
flora fothergilla in the cool month of spring after the danger of Robert Lee Frost has pass . take an surface area with full sun or partial tone and well - drained soil that is productive in constituent matter . Dig a cakehole twice the size of it of the root ball and bass enough for the root flare to seat even with the soil surface . Place your plant in the muddle and backfill around the roots , tamp the grime down to fasten the shrub . Water thoroughly and keep the stain equally moist through spring into summertime . Blanket the area around the shrubs with a 2 - inch - thickset layer of mulch to suppress weeds and prevent moisture loss .
If you are planting more than one fothergilla , space them grant to their plan mature size . This will differ greatly depending on the plant type . Dwarf fothergillas typically get only 3 to 6 metrical foot tall and 2 to 6 foot wide . big fothergillas can turn 4 to 12 ft marvelous and 5 to 10 feet wide .
Fothergilla Care Tips
witch alder are beloved for their four - season interest and no - nonsense care essential . They are slow - growing , long - lived shrubs that require minimal pruning and are happy to grow in the refinement or the Sunday .
Light
Fothergilla grows best in fond shade or filtered Dominicus . In sunnier locations ( with tribute from the harsh good afternoon rays ) , fothergilla will produce the most blooms and the most vibrant gloaming gloss .
Soil and Water
Fothergilla prefersmoist , well - drained , nutritious - rich filth that is acidulous ( ideally 6.0 pH or less ) . Alkaline soils may cause pallid or yellow foliage .
irrigate your fothergilla regularly during the first growing season after planting . Once it is established , the shrub ’s antecedent system of rules can withstand prolonged dry periods . Supplemental watering should only be required in extend menses of uttermost heat and drought .
Temperature and Humidity
Fothergilla is an all - season shrub and can thrive in temperature between -10˚ and 90˚ Fahrenheit . In the wintertime , when temperatures dip below 40˚ , the bush will neglect its leaf and go abeyant . In very red-hot weather ( or if the plant has too much sun picture ) , it may wilt and develop brown spots .
genus Fothergilla also stomach high humidity , so it works well in coastal garden and near water characteristic .
Fertilizer
genus Fothergilla benefits from an covering of balanced , slow - release granular plant food in midspring . A expert stakes is to choose one articulate for loony toons - loving plants like rhododendrons , hydrangeas , or blueberries .
Pruning
To aid your genus Fothergilla retain its shape , rationalise it in the natural spring just after the blooms have faded . Remove any dead , damaged , pathological , or crossed arm but otherwise , do n’t overdo it . It ’s estimable to slay no more than one - third of each branch using sharp , sterile shear or loppers . The finish is to improve line circulation and allow for better sun engrossment . Do not fleece this shrub ( i.e. , remove all the soft , new growth ) . Fothergilla has a pleasing informal branching habit and does n’t stomach tight pruning well .
Your genus Fothergilla will also form suckers that flash out from the base of the plant life to organize Modern settlement . These soft touch can be removed at any time to control the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe of the plant and prevent undesirable growth .
Potting and Repotting
When growing genus Fothergilla in containers , it ’s best to adhere with the gnome varieties . prefer a containerwith excellent drainage that is at least 2 to 4 column inch across-the-board than the plant ’s source ball . Make certain it is also abstruse enough for the shrub ’s root flair to rest just above the territory line .
In the spring , partially replete your container with an acidic , well - draining potting mixing and range your genus Fothergilla in the center . bear it firmly while you backfill the respite of the soil and tamp it down . Water your potted bush thoroughly and keep the stain evenly moist throughout the growing season . Allow the soil to dry out only slightly between watering .
Each fountain , fertilize with a dense - press release , granular fertilizer design for battery-acid - loving works . If winters are harsh in your region , move your potted bush to an unheated , protect place ( like a service department or shed ) , or apply a 2 - in stratum of mulch to the container ( ward off the bole ) and wrap the pot in burlap .
Credit: JANET MESIC-MACKIE
If you need to transfer your fothergilla into a large container , wait until other outflow . Before you repot , saturate the plant completely . you may do this by soaking it with a slow garden hosiery or by placing the whole container in a declamatory container filled with water .
Pests and Problems
Fothergilla is a relatively pest and disease - free bush that may have occasional return with leaf spot . In alkaline soils , fothergilla may become chlorotic and educate pale , yellow , or even scorched leave .
How to Propagate Fothergilla
Fothergilla is most commonly propagated via deal cutting in the late bounce . Using sharp , aseptic shear , take a healthy , 6- to 8 - inch cutting that includes at least two to three nodes . dispatch any leaves from the bottom of the thinning , duck the cut end in rooting hormone , and plant it in a pot filled with a peat and perlite - based potting ground . Keep the soil equally moist and allow the cuttings to take root . It may take several months . After the plant develops seeable new growth ( and when the atmospheric condition is once again freeze - gratis ) , you may transplant your new fothergilla plant outside or to a enceinte container .
you could also propagate the bush from the sucker that form at the base of the works . Just stab up the chump ( with as much root as possible ) and plant it in a container or freestanding location .
Types of Fothergilla
While there are a number of hybrids and novel cultivars to take from , there are just two vulgar specie in the fothergilla genus , big genus Fothergilla ( F. major ) and gnome fothergilla ( F. gardenii ) . Both are aboriginal to the woodlands , swamps , and coastal champaign of the southeastern United States and can be develop in hardiness zones 4 - 9 .
Dwarf Fothergilla
midget fothergilla ( genus Fothergilla gardenii ) is a mound case that typically grows just 3 foot tall , making it perfect for a low hedge or edging plant . It ’s native to the woodland areas of the southeasterly United States , but it is hardy in zones 5 - 9 .
Large Fothergilla
Large fothergilla(Fothergilla major)is aboriginal to the mountainous part of the southeast United States . It is a great background bush for garden spots with dappled sun or partial shade ( in zone 5 - 9 ) . When well cared for and mature in well - debilitate acidic soil , it can grow 4 to 12 metrical unit grandiloquent and 5 to 10 metrical unit wide .
‘Blue Shadow’ Fothergilla
Fothergilla major’Blue Shadow ' sport steely dispirited foliation that create a cool direct contrast with bright green and Au - color industrial plant . It grow to 6 feet tall and 5 pes wide in zones 5 - 8 .
‘Beaver Creek’ Fothergilla
This variety ofFothergilla gardeniiis a compendious , neatly mounded selection that grows 4 metrical foot tall and wide in zone 5 - 8 .
Companion Plants for Fothergilla
Hydrangeas
Hydrangeasare acidulous - soil - loving plants that are hardy in zone 4 through 9 . You cangrow blue hydrangeasin begrime with a pH between 4.5 and 5.5 ( ideal for fothergilla ) and both plants do well in fond shade and moist soil .
Rhododendrons
BHG / Evgeniya Vlasova
Rhododendrons(zones 3 - 10 ) make great companions for genus Fothergilla because they share the same soil requirements and bid year - rhythm interest . face for contrasting colorful rhododendron hybrids such as ' Anna H. Hall ' ( with pink buds that spread out to white flowers ) and ' Roseum Elegans ' ( with blushful lavender flowers ) . Or , seek out rhododendron with yellow and orange bloom that mimic the fall leafage of the witch alder .
Coral Bells
If your soil is only somewhat acidic , look tocoral bellsto render perennial colour under the dappled shade of big fothergilla shrub . They are downhearted - maintenance , hardy in geographical zone 3 - 9 , and add up in a rainbow of colors .
Daffodils
In sunnier spots , Narcissus pseudonarcissus make prosperous companionsfor fothergilla — especiallyFothergilla gardeniiand other dwarf miscellanea that will not have specter on the recurrent incandescent lamp . What ’s more , the blooming time of year for daffodil concur with the fothergilla blooming time of year . So , do April , you ’ll get a hustle of outpouring prime .
Garden Plans for Fothergilla
Corner Garden Plan
This corner garden plan ( which feature several all - time of year shrubs and trees ) adds height and texture while also lending a little privateness . In it , you ’ll detect fothergilla tuck amongflowering crabapple trees , dwarf cornel , andbird ’s nest spruce . Prettyperiwinkleprovides run aground cover and weed inhibition . Best of all , this garden take very petty pruning or other maintenance to thrive . Just keep the plants well - watered during their first class and shortly you ’ll be rewarded with quoin blank worthy of a landscape painting painting .
Frequently Asked Questions
When well cared for and grown in golden shape , witch alder can live for decennary — possibly as long as 60 year .
Fothergilla is a slow - growing shrub . Even gnome variety show may take as long as 10 to 20 years to reach mature height .
Fothergilla ( sometimes call witch - alder ) is , in fact , a fellow member of the hag hazel ( Hamamelidaceae ) family line . Fothergilla and Americanwitch hazel(Hamamelis virginiana ) also share some common traits ( like wintertime robustness ) , but they are not the same thing .
Credit: JANET MESIC-MACKIE
This most likely wo n’t be an issue . Like cervid , cony lean to leave this industrial plant alone . However , there is always a chance they might nibble on genus Fothergilla in the winter when there is n’t much available to eat .
Yes . The fragrant blossom of genus Fothergilla will appeal bee , butterflies , and other pollinators to your garden .
Credit: Rob Cardillo
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Credit: Jerry Pavia
Credit: Mary Carolyn Pindar
Credit:BHG / Evgeniya Vlasova
Credit: Terra Nova Nurseries
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit: Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke
