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Key characteristics

Family: Hamamelidaceae
Height: 3 to 6 feet
Width: 3 to 5 feet
Flower color: Fragrant white bottlebrush like flowers composed of many showy stamens
Foliage color: Blue green to dark green oval leaves often turning brilliant shades of yellow orange and red in fall
Bloom time: Early to mid spring, often April to May
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Water: Average evenly moist well drained acidic soil
Maintenance: Low; prune lightly after flowering to shape plants and remove older stems if needed
Growing zone: USDA zones 5 to 8
Wildlife: Bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects

Shrubs

Fothergilla gardenii

Dwarf Fothergilla

Fothergilla gardenii produces fragrant white bottlebrush flowers in early to mid spring, each bloom composed of soft filaments that create a feathery cluster along the branches. The blossoms appear just as the foliage begins to emerge. Rounded blue-green leaves unfold soon after, forming a dense canopy that develops warm shades of orange, red, and gold in autumn.

Native to the southeastern United States, particularly coastal regions from North Carolina to Florida, Fothergilla gardenii grows naturally in woodland edges and open landscapes.

Light

Full sun to partial shade

Water

Average evenly moist well drained acidic soil

Bloom time

Early to mid spring, often April to May

Find this plant

Works well in

Sun Gardens
Woodland Gardens
Native Gardens
Pollinator Gardens

Companion plants

Thyme · Switch grasses · Catmint · Penstemons · Coreopsis · Blanket flower

Design tip

Dwarf fothergilla offers two very different color moments: airy white bottlebrush flowers in spring and a blend of orange, red, and gold foliage in autumn. Pair it with quieter summer foliage so these seasonal transformations remain prominent rather than competing with other strongly colored shrubs.

Printable plant sheet (PDF)