Fothergilla 'Mt. Airy'

Product Info

Mt. Airy Fothergilla (Fothergilla ‘Mt. Airy’ )
Witch-hazel Family

Fothergilla ‘Mt. Airy’ is a cultivar of Large Fothergilla. This selection was discovered at the Mt. Airy Arboretum in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is valued for its vigorous growth, abundant flowering, and exceptional fall color. It typically grows 5 to 6 feet tall and wide, forming a dense, rounded shrub. In early spring before the leaves emerge, it produces bottlebrush-like clusters of fragrant, white flowers. The foliage emerges blue-green and turns spectacular shades of orange, red, yellow, and purple in the fall—often all at once—making it one of the most ornamental native shrubs for autumn color. ‘Mt. Airy’ prefers moist to average soils and grows best in full sun to part shade.

Blooms: White, 2-3 weeks, Feb-Apr
Leaves: Leathery leaves are a blue-green before turning red, yellow, purple for fall
Height:  3-5’
Space: 3-5’ 
Soil: Moist-Average
Exposure: Full sun-Part sun-Part shade
Fauna: Early emerging small bees and flies
Seeds: Small, hard, eject explosively when ripe
Deer Resistance: High
Zone: 5-9
Native Status:  NC native
Provenance: Unknown, asexually propagated