Large fothergilla

Large fothergilla: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright, multi-stemmed and densely branched shrub, 2 m tall and wide; slow-growing.

Leaves

Broadly oval to round, 5–10 cm, coarsely toothed towards the tip, dark green with a blue-green underside; deciduous.

Flowers

Upright bottlebrush-like spikes of 3–5 cm, made of white stamens with yellow anthers, in April–May.

Scent

Sweet, slightly honey-like.

Autumn colour

Yellow, orange, red and purple, often all at once; best in sun.

Roots

Fine and fairly shallow; over the years it sometimes forms a few suckers at the base.

Flowering: April–May · Plants: March–April and October–November · Pruning: June

Why grow it?

• Fragrant white bottlebrushes in April–May, as the garden wakes up.
• One of the finest autumn displays: yellow, orange, red and purple on one shrub.
• Bees and bumblebees visit the early flowers.
• Slow-growing and compact: it fits into a smaller garden too.
• Rarely ill and needs little pruning.

Large fothergilla: where does it grow best?

• Sun or part shade; in sun it flowers more freely and colours best.
• Acid, humus-rich soil: sand, loam or peat. On chalky soil its leaves turn yellow.
• Normally moist: do not let it dry out, but avoid waterlogging too.
• A sheltered spot, out of strong wind.
• Allow 1.5–2 m per plant.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or peat

Acidity

Acid

Moisture

Normal

Size

2 m tall, 2 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Rhododendron: The same acid soil; it takes over in May–June when the fothergilla has finished flowering.
• Japanese maple: Together a firework display of autumn colour.
• Grape hyacinth: Blue spring flowers at its feet, at the same time as the white bottlebrushes.
• Heather: The same acid soil and sun; it flowers in late summer, while the fothergilla is still green.

Large fothergilla: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–November.

1. Plant in March–April or October–November, when the ground is not frozen.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix in leaf mould or ericaceous compost.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot and firm the soil well.
4. Leave 1.5–2 m between plants.
5. Water in well, preferably with rainwater.
6. Mulch with leaf mould, bark or pine needles.

Care

Watering

Regularly in dry spells during the first year; after that during long dry periods, preferably with rainwater.

Feeding

In April, a little leaf mould or organic fertiliser for acid-loving plants.

Mulching

A layer of leaf mould or bark every spring keeps the soil cool, moist and acid.

Space

Do not plant large shrubs right next to it: in the shade of its neighbours it flowers and colours less.

Spent flowers

No need to remove them; the small fruits are inconspicuous.

Tip: Plant it in a sunny spot in acid, humus-rich soil: it will then flower freely and give its best autumn colour. Put it near the front of the border, where you can smell the fragrant bottlebrushes close up.

Large fothergilla: when to prune it?

Pruning months: June.

When: Hardly needed. If necessary, prune straight after flowering, in June.

How:

• Remove dead, diseased and crossing branches.
• Cut an overlong branch back to a side branch or to the base.
• Renovate an old shrub gradually by taking out one of the oldest stems at the base every few years.

Caution: It flowers on last year’s wood: do not prune in winter or early spring, or the flower buds will be lost.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Layering

In spring, peg a low branch into the soil and cover it with acid soil; sever it after one or two years and replant it.

Softwood cuttings

In June, take 8–10 cm cuttings from young shoots and root them in moist, acid cutting compost under plastic. Keep them frost-free through their first winter before planting out.

Suckers

In March or October, carefully dig up rooted suckers at the base and replant them.

Large fothergilla: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Hardy to about −25 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• Late frost in April can turn the flowers brown; the shrub itself is not harmed.
• In a pot: choose a large pot of ericaceous compost and stand it sheltered against a wall, out of the wind.

Diseases and pests

• Yellow leaves: Yellow leaves with green veins (chlorosis) point to soil or water that is too limy. Water with rainwater and mulch with leaf mould or pine needles.
• Poor autumn colour: Too much shade or too much nitrogen. Give it a sunnier spot and feed sparingly.
• Brown leaf edges: Caused by summer drought. Water generously in dry spells and mulch.
• Frosted flowers: Brown flowers after a frosty night in April. Nothing can be done; it will flower normally again next year.

Through the year

• February: Dormant. The flower buds are already formed.
• March: Plant. Give leaf mould.
• April: Flowering: fragrant white bottlebrushes. Plant.
• May: Last flowers; the leaves unfold.
• June: Light pruning after flowering if needed. Take softwood cuttings.
• July: Water in dry spells, preferably with rainwater.
• August: Water in dry spells.
• October: Full autumn colour. Plant.
• November: Plant. Leave fallen leaves as a mulch.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The genus is named after John Fothergill, an 18th-century English physician and plant collector who grew many North American plants.
• The white ‘bottlebrushes’ have no petals: they consist of the white stamens of many small flowers.
• It belongs to the same family as witch hazel and Persian ironwood.