The illustrated growing guide
Fothergilla
Fothergilla × intermedia
Family Hamamelidaceae
Est. zones 4-8
An underused native that earns its spot twice: honey-scented white bottlebrush flowers in spring (great early bee forage) and a spectacular multicolored FALL show of orange, red, and gold, often on the same leaf. Slow, tidy, disease-free, and the perfect guilt-free native replacement for invasive burning bush. Wants acid, moist soil like its azalea neighbors.
Full Sun to Part Shade
Moderate water
Slow growth
Attracts beesI
Overview
Will fothergilla suit your garden, and what goes wrong.
Will it thrive where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what fothergilla actually needs.
Hardy inZones 4-8Fothergilla at a glance
Common fothergilla problems
- Almost none
- Almost none
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Growing
Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.
How to grow fothergilla: light, water & soil
How to plant & propagate fothergilla
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The year
What fothergilla asks for, month by month.
The fothergilla year, month by month
BloomWhat each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
The fothergilla year as text
- Jan quiet month
- Feb quiet month
- Mar bloom
- Apr bloom
- May bloom
- Jun quiet month
- Jul quiet month
- Aug quiet month
- Sep quiet month
- Oct quiet month
- Nov quiet month
- Dec quiet month
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
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Ecology & uses
What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.
Fothergilla in the garden system
- Shrub layer shrub
- Nectary/insectary
What fothergilla is grown for
✓ Not known to be toxic
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
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Cultivars
Named varieties of fothergilla, ruled as a catalogue.
Best fothergilla varieties & cultivars
'Mount Airy' (the reliable standard); 'Blue Shadow' (blue foliage); dwarf 'Gardenii'
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Sources & plant ID
Where the care distinctions come from, and how the plant is filed.
Research basis
Sources behind this profile
No extension citations are attached to fothergillayet. The care figures below come from the library's own catalogue rather than a traced primary source.
Plant ID
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Where to buy
Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.
Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.
Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.
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Questions
Fothergilla questions, answered straight.
Is fothergilla safe for kids and pets?
Fothergilla is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
How do you propagate fothergilla?
Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering.
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Elsewhere
Where fothergilla sits in the library.
Rose
Hydrangea
Common Lilac
Forsythia