Blue Shadow Fothergilla

Size

Are you searching for a shrub that adds year-round interest to borders and beds? If so, then look no further than Blue Shadow Fothergilla. Also known as Fothergilla x intermedia Blue Shadow, this cultivar of Mount Airy features fragrant, ivory, bottle brush-shaped spring blossoms followed by green foliage turning powdery blue in the summer. The leaves catch fire during the fall as they turn shades of amber, gold, and crimson. This vigorous, slow-growing selection finishes up the year in winter by offering a unique arrangement of its zigzagging leafless branches. Blue Shadow Fothergilla Care Choose a place in your landscape with 6 to 8 hours of direct sun. Plant in a hole two times the width and one time the height of the root ball in loamy, moist, well-draining soil with a pH of 5.0 to 6.0. If the soil doesnt drain well, amend it with compost. Apply a three-inch mulch ring. Provide one inch of water per week when the top one inch of soil is dry. Apply an organic fertilizer, such as Espomas Holly-Tone, for acid-loving plants annually. To protect this deciduous shrub during harsh winters, loosely tie the branches and cover them with a frost blanket such as burlap. Blue Shadow Fothergilla does not require heavy pruning. Remove any diseased, dead, damaged, and crossed stems during late winter or spring. Remove any suckers after blooming. If planting in a container, choose a pot two to four inches wider than the root ball. Fill the pot with potting soil designed for acid-loving plants. In a thriller-filler-spiller combination, use this shrub as a thriller. Blue Shadow Fothergilla Spacing Plant Blue Shadow Fothergillas 3 to 4 feet apart when planting in hedges or growing near foundations. For accent planting, space Blue Shadow Fothergilla plants 3 to 5 feet apart. Plant them with other acid-loving plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, and mountain laurels. Blue Shadow Fothergilla is a superb choice to plant in a woodland garden.