Häxal fothergilla major
Fothergilla, Fothergilla spp. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. It lights up the fall landscape with orange, red, purple, and yellow leaves for a spectacular end-of-season display. Fothergilla is native to the southern United States. It was named for British physician and plant collector John Fothergill, who brought American species to England during the 18th century.
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Shrubs have a clumping form with attractively zigzagging branches and dark green to blue-green, leathery foliage with deep ridges. The shrubs are monoecious, which means they produce both male and female flowers and these are combined in the same inflorescence. The female flowers are nondescript, while the male blooms are pollinator magnets. They have petal-less, creamy white stamens that resemble bottle brushes with a honey-like fragrance, that bloom for two to three weeks in spring.
The three dwarf species are so similar that many horticulturists consider them to be variations of F. Alabama fothergilla was previously classified as a distinct species, F. Dwarf species and cultivated varieties are best suited to Zones 5 to 8.
They grow to mature dimensions of 18 to 36 inches tall and 24 to 48 inches wide. Growth is compact and bushy, the flowers appear before the foliage, and the leaves have symmetrical bases. Large types grow best in Zones 4 to 8, reaching six to 10 feet tall with a width of five to nine feet. They have an upright, spreading growth habit, and bloom at the same time the leaves emerge.
The leaves are larger than those of the dwarf species, and the bases are asymmetrical. In addition to the species mentioned, fossilized specimens of two US species, F. This suggests an environmental resilience likely responsible for its exemplary pest and disease resistance, and desirability as a commercial and home landscape shrub. There are a couple of ways to propagate your own fothergilla shrubs, including from cuttings and by transplanting nursery starts.
Starting from seed is not recommended for home growers. Collected seeds are difficult to sprout as they require both scarification to weaken the seed coat and cold-stratification to prepare the seed for germination.
Grow Fothergilla for Fabulous Flowers and Foliage
Also, seeds from hybrids and other cultivated varieties may not be viable. Use sanitary shears to sever it cleanly at its base, taking care not to damage neighboring plant tissue or leave jagged edges that may invite pests and pathogens. Place the stem in a four-inch seed starter pot filled three-quarters full of potting soil at a depth just below the lowest remaining leaf.
Cut a four-inch length of soft, green stem just below a leaf or leaf node.
Gardening 101: Fothergilla
The stem should be long enough that it has several leaf nodes. Pinch or snip off the lowest leaf and the tip growth, then dip the cut end of the stem into rooting hormone powder. Insert the dipped stem into a four-inch seed starter pot three-quarters full of potting medium to a depth just below the lowest leaf. Moisten the soil and keep it evenly moist during establishment. Place the pot in bright, indirect sunlight.
When transferring a seedling, rooted cutting, or nursery plant to the garden, you need to set it slightly higher than the ground level to facilitate excess water runoff. To plant, work the soil to a depth of 12 inches and at least twice as wide as the root ball until it is crumbly and free from debris and rocks. Elevate transplants slightly above ground level. This type of mounding sets the crown, where the roots and stems meet, high to ensure the adequate drainage fothergilla requires.
Keep the new starts evenly moist but not waterlogged until they become established.