Fothergillas, ask so little from gardeners, yet give so much; all friends should exhibit this kind of relationship.
—Michael A. Dirr
Enter the Fothergilla. A brilliant burst of bottlebrush blooms, a terrifically rich-textured leaf, and a raucous autumnal burst. Native plant lovers can scarcely do better than this three-season sensation from the Hamamelidaceae. There are two main species of fothergilla, Fothergilla gardenii and Fothergilla major, which have hybridized to birth the ornamental superstar Fothergilla × intermedia, as well as two subspecies Fothergilla milleri and Fothergilla parvifolia.
An early bird in the parade of spring blooms, fothergilla provides critical early-season nectar for bees. The flower has a lovely, honeyed fragrance and its structure is spectacular:
“The showy part of the flower is a mass of stamens . . . what truly catches the eye are the white filaments of the stamens, with a painterly splash of yellow, the pollen in the anthers atop each.” —James ‘Wonka’ Chatfield
Despite its southern genesis, fothergilla is cold tolerant to at least zone 5 with some forms even hardy to zone 4. It thrives in sun but can tolerate shade, and is adaptable to different soil types but prefers acidic soils. In all things there are few qualities more appreciated than availability and reliability. Fothergilla is not preferred browsing by deer and rabbits, although the scurvy whitetails have been known to snack on a bloom or several.
Let us begin with Fothergilla gardenii, named for the Scottish botanist Alexander Garden. Known as dwarf fothergilla, the more diminutive witch-alder is a lowland bog dweller. The native habitats of Fothergilla gardenii are wet pine savannas and pocosins, which are low-lying shallow freshwater wetland basins containing acidic sandy soil and dominated by shrubs.
Fothergilla major, as you might guess from its Latin epithet major, is the larger of the two species. It is an upland species, making its home along the Allegheny Mountains from North Carolina and Tennessee to Alabama in ridgelines and riverbanks. It is the significantly larger and more cold tolerant plant, growing up to ten feet in height and spread and hardy to zone 4.
While the difference in size between the two species is an easy identification key, there are also some differences in their leaves. Fothergilla gardenii’s leaves are symmetrical at the base and typically contain teeth only on their upper halves. Fothergilla major’s leaves are asymmetric at the base and the teeth exist below the middle, and, of course, the leaves are much larger.
The introduction of Michael Dirr’s 'Mount Airy' to the nursery trade has given the fothergilla species a broad and deserving appeal as an ornamental choice in our gardens. Mount Airy is a spectacular plant without fussiness and with a spectacular rooting ability that makes it a propagator's dream. It has a pleasant upright form, growing four to five feet in height and width, possesses large blooms and a ripping fall color. Thanks to the deductive efforts by Tom Raney, plant geneticist from NC State University, we know that Mount Airy, as well as other notable cultivars, are in fact Fothergilla × intermedia, that is, hybrids of Fothergilla major and gardenii.
The genus name honors the memory of legendary plantsman and doctor John Fothergill (1712 – 1780). Fothergill was a devout Quaker and a man from humble beginnings who had great compassion for the poor. He treated those too impoverished to pay for medical care for free, campaigned for public baths, and for more sanitary procedures for cemeteries. A Renaissance man, he also introduced about a hundred plants into cultivation in his native England.
Works cited:
Chatfield, J. (2018, May 18). Fothergilla Flowers: What Are We Looking At? Buckeye Yard and Garden Online. https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1036
Darke, R. (2008). Fothergilla in Cultivation. The Plantsman, 10–17.
Dirr, M. (1999). Dirr’s hardy trees and shrubs: An illustrated encyclopedia. Timber Press.
Jefferson M. Dr. John Fothergill, physician and humanist. Br Med J. 1966 Sep 10;2(5514):637-9. doi:10.1136/bmj.2.5514.637. PMID: 5331184; PMCID: PMC1943431.
Ranney, T. G., Lynch, N. P., Fantz, P. R., & Cappiello, P. (2007). Clarifying Taxonomy and Nomenclature of Fothergilla (Hamamelidaceae) Cultivars and Hybrids. HortScience, 43(3), 470–473.
--Alexander Juri Lavrisha, Plant Materials Specialist, Secrest Arboretum lavrisha5@osu.edu