Fothergilla gardenii

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.