Revealing fragrant, bottlebrush white blooms and providing magnificent fall color, fothergilla, Witch Alder reigns as a landscape must have. Fothergilla, a member of the witch-hazel family (Hamamelidaceae) can be used as a specimen plant or an informal hedge with three season interest.

 Native to the southeastern United States, Fothergilla benefits from a well-drained, slightly acidic soil. It prefers full sun to maximize its crimson, orange, and yellow fall color, but it will also do fine in part shade. An annual spring application of an acidic fertilizer like Espoma’s Organic Holly Tone, helps prevent the plant from yellowing in alkaline soils. Since the roots of Fothergilla are shallow and close to the surface, mulching will help it retain moisture. To keep the plant healthy and maintain adequate air circulation, pruning is necessary. Remember to prune this plant shortly after it flowers to maintain the blooms for the next season.  Fothergilla is deer and rabbit resistant and rarely has significant insect or disease issues, occasionally the smaller varieties may develop leaf spot. If this happens, treating with a fungicide will prevent the disease from spreading.

Depending on the variety, Fothergilla grows between 2 and 5 ft tall and wide with a rounded form. This slow growing shrub features eye-catching spikes of honey-scented white flowers which appear in early spring prior to leafing. Its leaves are a rounded, leathery blue-green turning bright red, orange, and yellow in the fall.

Happy planting. See you at Tonkadale.