Dwarf Fothergilla is a marvelous, slow-growing, deciduous shrub typically about three feet tall at maturity. In nature it is found in bogs (pocosins) and moist lowlands and savannahs in coastal areas of the Southeast from North Carolina to the Florida panhandle and Alabama. The soft, white bottle brush inflorescences are strongly and wonderfully fragrant and attract both honey bees and butterflies. It is monoecious, with tiny, apetalous male and female flowers present in the inflorescence, but only the male flowers having showy parts. Dwarf Fothergilla flowers appear in April and May, conspicuous on the bare stems before the leaves emerge. In the fall, Dwarf Fothergilla has startlingly beautiful red, orange and yellow foliage (especially if grown in full sun), and in the winter, a twiggy, interesting form. Fruit is inconspicuous. In cultivation, Dwarf Fothergilla thrives in acidic, well drained but continually moist soil. It thrives in full or part sun if moisture is maintained, but can adapt to drier sites if shaded. It can form a colony, but is easily controlled if new plants are not welcome. This is an outstanding ornamental shrub.
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Fothergilla gardenii
Key Info
Scientific Name: Fothergilla gardenii L.
Common Names: Dwarf Witchalder, Dwarf Fothergilla, Coastal Fothergilla
Family Names: Hamamelidaceae (Witch Hazel Family)
Plant Type: Tree / Shrub
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Flower Color: White
Special Characteristics: Flowers fragrant, Attracts bees, Attracts butterflies, Good fall color, Slow growing, Interesting form; Reported to be deer resistant, Rhizomatous
Additional Info
Habit: Upright with spreading, crooked, zig-zag branches forming a rounded, dense mound with medium to coarse texture; spreads by suckers.
Height: 3'
Spread: 3'
Soil Conditions: Moist to wet but well drained, organic soils with acid pH; sandy or peaty loam texture; does not tolerate poor drainage or very heavy soil.
Leaves: Simple, alternate, oblong, pubescent leaves 2-3" long, rounded at the base with rounded marginal teeth (crenate) from the midpoint to the leaf apex. Color is blue-green in summer, often brilliant shades of yellow, purple, orange and red in fall.
Flowers (or reproductive structures: White, apetalous flowers with a sweet, honey fragrance appear in dense, terminal, bottlebrush-like spikes ~1" across x ~2" long, blooming in spring before the leaves appear. Male and female flowers are present, but only the male flowers are showy, having elongated, bright white filaments and yellow anthers arising from the light green, oval inflorescences.
Fruit: Small, green, beaked, 2-seeded capsules mature and dry to olive-brown, and are noticeable but not ornamentally important.
Natural Distribution: Sunny, high ground in swamps, moist, grassy lowlands and coastal savannahs.
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 to 8
USDA Wetland Indicator Status in NC: FACW
Pollination: Bees butterflies and other insects
Wildlife Connections: Dwarf Fothergilla, especially if grown as a colony, provides food and cover for small mammals and birds.
Propagation: By seeds (stratification treatments required) or by semi hardwood cuttings.