ShrubsDiscover the right shrubs for your garden.
Legend of the Fall ® fothergilla . pic by : Proven achiever
Fothergillais one of those rare garden shrub grown as much for its spectacular fall foliage as it is for its showy efflorescence in saltation . In fall , its leaves wrick every color of the declension rainbow — a breathless blending of orangish , red , crimson , and yellowed , with the display often dawdle well into November .
In other spring , after a brief winter nap , its arm are cover with creamy white bottlebrush - shaped blossom , followed presently after by handsome blue - green parting . Even in wintertime , when the leaf is missing , fothergilla persist in to captivate in the garden with its zigzagging branches .
In addition to these many ornamental attributes , genus Fothergilla is well-chosen growing in sun or shadowiness and necessitate minimal pruning to maintain its beautiful form .
“ They do not have a speculative season , ” says plantsman Michael Dirr , extolling the moral excellence of fothergilla in his bookDirr ’s Trees and Shrubs . " They have assumed their lawful position in American gardens as splendid shrubs that put up brilliant flowers and foliage , in both summertime and fall . "
On this page : Basics|Types|Planting|Care|Varieties|Landscaping mind
BASICS
Zones:
Typically 5 to 9 , with some variety hardy down to zone 4 .
Common name:
Witch alder ( so call because of its similarity towitch hazel , which belongs to the same works house )
Plant type:
Deciduous shrub
Native area:
Eastern and southeast U.S.
Exposure:
Full sun to part nuance
Mature size:
Varies ; from 2 to 3 human foot grandiloquent and wide to up to 6 to 10 understructure
Growth rate:
dim
Bloom time:
betimes to mid - leap , with the bloom last 2 to 3 weeks
Special attributes:
TYPES OF FOTHERGILLA
HOW TO PLANT FOTHERGILLA
When to plant:
As with most shrubs , plant during the cooler month of springiness or go down to avoid transplant shock from extreme summertime heating system .
Where to plant:
take a sunny to partly gay site with moist , well - draining soil . Best flowering and tumble color typically occur when plant are discover to full sun . However , in hot clime , they will welcome some afternoon shadowiness .
Soil:
Prefers slightly acidic soil enrich with plenty of constituent subject .
How to plant:
Place in a hole dig to the same profundity and twice the width of the rootball , making sure the top of the rootball is even with or slightly above the soil surface . After backfilling , water deeply to good impregnate the solution and the surrounding ground .
Spacing:
If plant in group , distance plant at a distance adequate to or greater than their breadth at maturity , depending on their purpose .
FOTHERGILLA CARE
caption of the Fall ® witch alder spring flower . Photo by : Proven Winners
Watering:
Water newly planted witch alder on a regular basis during its first growing season to maintain evenly moist land . Once the root system of rules becomes established , supplementary watering is only call for during periods of drought .
Mulch:
Fothergillashave a shallow root scheme and do good from the practical program of a thickset layer of mulch or other organic issue to help keep the ground moist and protect the ancestor from temperature extremes .
Fertilizing:
If growing plants in alkaline dirt , fertilise in spring with an constitutional industrial plant food especially excogitate for dose - have sex plant or intermix some Al sulphate into the stain to lower the pH degree . ( Learnhow to test the pH of your dirt . )
Pruning:
One of the best reason to growFothergillais the beauty of its informal ramification riding habit , so pruning should be keep to a minimum to head off go bad the shrub ’s innate bod .
tailor out dead branches in wintertime , but expect to do any further pruning until late give — after the flowers are gone — becauseFothergillablooms on the previous year ’s outgrowth . apply bypass pruning hook to cut smaller branches back to an outward - facing bud , and expend loppers for big branches .
Controlling spread:
Some witch alder have a tendency to spread by root suckering , but they are easy to keep in tick by clipping off the undesirable sucker at the base .
Pests and diseases:
destitute of most pests and disease . However , plants can suffer from chlorosis ( yellowing of the leaves ) when develop in alkaline soil .
FOTHERGILLA VARIETIES
Photo by : Proven Winners
Legend of the Fall ® —Buy now from Proven WinnersFothergillaxintermedia
Height and spread:
4 to 5 feet marvelous and panoptic
Notable for its particular fall foliage color , which rivals that of other genus Fothergilla , even when grown in part shade . display blazingly bright hue of orange , jaundiced , red , and gold that only deepen as autumn draws to a close .
Legend of the Small ® —Buy now from Proven WinnersFothergillaxintermedia
2 to 3 base tall & wide-eyed
This compact variety — ideal for small garden and container plantings — deliver the same spectacular fall foliation coloring of its larger cousin , but originate to only about half the size . It also set up on an telling video display of flowers in the outflow , providing a ripe source of nectar for pollinator early in the season .
Photo by : Jorge Salcedo / Shutterstock.com
' Mt. Airy’Fothergillaxintermedia’Mt . Airy '
5 to 6 foot tall & wide
you’re able to give thanks Michael Dirr for the discovery of this popular loanblend , which he found growing at Mt. Airy Arboretum in Cincinnati , Ohio . Its many assets admit exceptionally large honey - scent flowers ; consistently good fall leafage color in vivacious shades of yellow , orange , and ruddy - purple ; and heavily textured gentle - green leaves accented by whitish bottom . Very cold hardy ( down to -25 ° F ) .
Photo by : Sophie Leguil / Shutterstock
' Blue Shadow’Fothergillaxintermedia’Blue Shadow '
This sport of ‘ Mt. Airy ’ share many of the same characteristics with the exclusion of the foliage , which mature to a deep shade of pulverization blue air that lasts throughout the summertime before transform to a fiery mixture of crimson , yellow , and orange in crepuscule . For the richest foliage coloring material , mature in full sun .
Photo by : Todd Boland / Millette Photomedia
' Blue Mist’Fothergilla gardenii’Blue Mist '
2 to 3 groundwork tall , 3 to 4 feet wide
A compact cultivar named for its soft blue - light-green foliage color during the summertime , which contrast attractively with strong colour tones in the summer garden . The dusk foliage colour is not as reliable as that of other variety , and is often define to shades of yellow or topaz .
