'Mount Airy' fothergilla is a showy deciduous dwarf shrub cultivar in the Hamamelidaceae family. It is thought to be a cross between the native F. gardenii and F. latifolia . The genus name comes from the English botanist and physician Dr. John Fothergill (1712–1780), and the cultivar name 'Mount Airy' is the namesake of Mt. Airy Arboretum in Cincinnati, Ohio where the cultivar was discovered by Michael Dirr. Plant in acidic soils with high organic matter that are consistently moist but with good drainage. The best flowering occurs in full sun, but it tolerates part shade conditions. With beautiful leathery green foliage, interesting bottle-brush flowers in the spring, and great red, yellow, or purple fall color, this compact shrub brings long-lasting seasonal interest to the landscape. Growing slowly to 3 to 6 feet tall and about as wide, this multi-stemmed shrub has a rounded, compact habit. 'Mount Airy' fothergilla spreads by suckers, which can be removed if this is not desirable. The fragrant flowers appear before blue-green leaves in spring and last 10 to 14 days. Leaves are bright yellow to orange to red to purple in fall, colors often combined on the same leaf. This plant is resistant to browsing by deer. Use as a specimen in a cottage garden, in shaded shrub borders, as a low hedge, or in a sensory garden to take advantage of the sweet-smelling flowers. This easy-to-grow shrub works well in mass plantings, along foundations, and can be planted with other acid-loving plants like rhododendrons and blueberries. Quick ID Hints : Bottle brush-shaped honey honey-scented, white flowers. Yellow-orange-red fall color. Rounded teeth on the leaf margin toward the apex. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems.
Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗Reconciled to full toolbox: matched by slug to slug 'fothergilla-mount-airy'. Identity (id/common/scientific name) preserved from the original 87-plant Hunnicutt set; attribute data refreshed from the 50-attribute toolbox scrape.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Multi-stemmed; Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Blue; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Oblong; Obovate
Leaf margin
Dentate
Leaf feel
Leathery
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Alternate, simple, 2- to 4-inch-long, leathery leaves are obovate to oblong with rounded teeth toward the apex. Color is dark green above to blue or gray green tomentose undersides. Showy fall colors in reds, yellows and purples.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower detail
Terminal bottle brush white flowers have a honey fragrance appear April-May. They are globular at first, then elongate like bottle brushes up to 3 inches as they mature. The flowers have no petals but are white showy stamens with a yellowish anther.
Bloom time
Spring
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
Dark brown stems
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Attracts
Bees
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Pond; Woodland
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden; Garden for the Blind; Pollinator Garden
Design feature
Border; Foundation Planting; Hedge; Mass Planting; Specimen
Garden tags
#deciduous shrub #showy flowers #deciduous #fall interest #fragrant flowers #mass planting #fantz #acidic soils tolerant #shade garden #fall color purple #cottage garden #year-round interest #fall color red #suckers #flowers late spring #slow growing #fall color yellow #flowers mid-spring #sensory garden #easy to grow #specimen #deer resistant #low maintenance #spring flowers #leathery leaves #low hedge #hedge #cpp #shrub border #blue leaves #compact