Horticulture Highlight: Fothergilla, Fothergilla sp.

During late October, Mount Auburn has many different plants exhibiting fine autumn displays. Fothergilla, Fothergilla sp. is one with reliable magnificent red autumn color. We grow numerous individuals of two different species. Fothergilla major, large fothergilla usually is an upright, multiple-stemmed deciduous shrub growing to 6-feet in height although some may be slightly taller. Although native to the southeastern U.S., it is perfectly cold hardy (USDA Zone 5-8) during Mount Auburn’s winters.

Earlier in the spring, before the leaves appear, Fothergilla has attractive, sweetly fragrant, white flowers which cover the shrub. These flowers are without petals but are comprised of 12 to 32 stamens forming an interesting bottle-brush shape that may be as much as three-inches long.

Dwarf Fothergilla, Fothergilla gardenii is a 2-to-3-foot high, mounded shrub that likewise provides spectacular red autumn foliage and earlier spring fragrant, white bottle-brush shaped flowers, slightly shorter than the latter.

The genus name honors Dr. John Fothergill (1712-1780), a Quaker physician and philanthropist of London who had a life-long interest in Natural History and maintained an extensive garden and greenhouse where he grew plants from around the world.

For the home landscape, large fothergilla is attractive enough to perform as a specimen plantingor to be included in a shrub border where a tall hedge or screen effect is desired. For those wishing to help reduce the numbers of invasive plants in our area, we recommend this as an alternative to the heretofore far too frequently planted burning bush (Euonymus alatus) which though it also has brilliant red autumn foliage is now included on the Massachusetts voluntary do not plant list.

On your autumn foliage visit to Mount Auburn look for large fothergilla on Asphodel Path, Heliotrope Path, Spruce Avenue, Birch Avenue Rosebay Avenue and Meadow Road. Dwarf fothergillas are found at numerous locations throughout our landscape.