Dwarf fothergilla
Fothergilla gardenii · Hamamelidaceae
White, honey-scented, bottle-brush flowers in spring before the leaves, and autumn colour that mixes yellow, orange and scarlet on the same plant.
- Size
- 3 ft tall, 3½ ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Late April to mid May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around dwarf fothergilla
The planner designed this bed around dwarf fothergilla when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why dwarf fothergilla stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Dwarf fothergilla × 1, white
- 2 Coral bells 'Firefly' × 8, red
- 3 Leadwort × 19, blue
- 4 Swamp milkweed 'Ice Ballet' × 3, white
- 5 Northern sea oats 'River Mist' × 3, green
- 6 Sedge 'Everillo' × 3, chartreuse leaves
- 7 Meadow saffron × 3, pink
Why this plant
- The only spires. The others are airy sprays, dense clusters, flat plates and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do northern sea oats 'River Mist' and sedge 'Everillo'.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 3 ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to northern sea oats 'River Mist' (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From late April to mid May.
- Opens the season. In all that time nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Leadwort is planted in five places along the bed, which gives it rhythm. Leadwort is the plant there is most of: 19 of the 40.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where dwarf fothergilla goes in a border
At 3 ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
A shrub for two seasons that never needs pruning. It wants acid, moist soil; in the right place nothing colours better in autumn.
- Spring flowers and brilliant autumn colour
- With azaleas and rhododendrons
- A native substitute for burning bush
What to plant with dwarf fothergilla
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Rhododendron 'PJM': in flower together for four weeks, from late April; a low mound at the foot of its spires; tall enough (5 ft) to stand behind it.
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; a low mound at the foot of its spires.
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (20 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about dwarf fothergilla
Does dwarf fothergilla need sun or shade?
Dwarf fothergilla grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells. It copes with soil that stays wet.
What zones does dwarf fothergilla grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does dwarf fothergilla flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late April to mid May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Late April to mid May |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 7 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 8 | Early April to late April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should dwarf fothergilla be planted?
3 ft (90 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3½ ft (100 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many dwarf fothergilla plants do I need?
At 3 ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 4 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, planted singly: it is the bed's structure, and everything else is arranged around it.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is dwarf fothergilla poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat dwarf fothergilla?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after dwarf fothergilla?
Dwarf fothergilla is over by mid May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': from mid May to mid September, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Columbine: from early May to mid June, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Siberian iris: from late May to late June, 2½ ft tall.
What does dwarf fothergilla look like in winter?
Dwarf fothergilla drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is dwarf fothergilla good for bees and butterflies?
Dwarf fothergilla is visited by pollinators and bees.
It is native to the United States.
More Fothergilla
- Fothergilla 'Blue Shadow' Fothergilla x intermedia 'Blue Shadow'
- Fothergilla 'Mount Airy' Fothergilla x intermedia 'Mount Airy'
- Large fothergilla Fothergilla major
In these guides
- Plants for wet soil and rain gardens
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Native plants for shade
- Plants for bees
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
- Plants with spires: vertical accents
- Plants for a white garden
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 3 ft (90 cm) tall, 3½ ft (100 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3 ft (90 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late April to mid May; upright spires; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; blue-green, red
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Hamamelidaceae
- Comes from
- coastal plains of Southern United States
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees
- Stands up to
- Deer, wet soil
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.