Habitat

• Allegheny Mountains, primarily in Georgia, but also found occasionally in states from North Carolina and Tennessee to Alabama
• zone 5

Habit and Form

• a deciduous shrub
• 6' to 8' tall
• rounded shape
• upright spreading branching
• will sucker from the base, but not to the same degree as F. gardenii

Summer Foliage

• deciduous, with alternate arrangement
• 2" to 5" long
• approximately three quarters as wide as long
• simple leaves are coarsely, but shallowly toothed
• dark green above, underside with gray or whitish cast
• foliage is high quality

Autumn Foliage

• a blend of yellow, orange, red and purple
• typically quite showy

Flowers

• flowers are white
• bloom time is May
• flower clusters are 1" to 2" long and shaped like bottle brushes
• somewhat fragrant

Fruit

• green capsules
• not numerous or ornamentally important

Bark

• gray brown
• not ornamentally important

Culture

• prefers a moist, acidic, fertile, well-drained soil
• full sun is best
• partial shade is tolerated, but bloom and fall color will be less than in full sun

Landscape Use

• a good three season plant
• useful for bloom, high quality summer foliage, and fall foliage color
• foundation plant
• shrub border
• naturalistic areas
• in groupings or masses
• at its best with dark, evergreen background

Liabilities

• generally trouble free

ID Features

• flower buds are stalked and naked
• bottle brush white flower clusters
• very similar to F. gardenii, except larger and coarser
• yellow-orange-red fall color
• leaves are witch hazel-shaped

Propagation

• by cuttings
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

'Mt. Airy' (also listed as 'Mount Airy') - This form of Fothergilla is widely considered to be the finest selection available. All attributes appear superior, including larger flowers, clean blue-green foliage, strong fall color (yellow to red) and vigorous upright growth habit to 6' tall. It is widely available and probably should be selected over other forms if possible.