Dwarf fothergilla
Fothergilla gardenii
Dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii), also called dwarf witch alder, is a compact, slow-growing deciduous shrub of the southeastern US coastal plain, native from North Carolina south through South Carolina and Georgia to Alabama and the Florida panhandle. It earns its place for two clear seasons of interest. In spring, before or just as the leaves unfold, it carries short, fragrant, bottlebrush-like spikes of tiny petal-less flowers, and the whole white show comes from a dense mass of stamens rather than from any petals. In autumn the tidy blue-green leaves colour up in a mix of yellow, orange, and red, often several of those tones on one plant at once. It is a well-behaved small native shrub, usually staying around 2 to 3 feet high and about as wide, that wants an acidic, humus-rich, evenly moist but well-drained soil and full sun to part shade. In the wild it grows in wet pine savannas, pocosins, and bog margins, so it dislikes hot, dry, or limy ground and can spread slowly into a colony by root suckers.
Native: 5 US states
Climate fit: narrow (38/100)
Border
Pollinator
Structure
Light
Full sun / Part shade
Water
Consistent moisture
Mature size
24-48" tall · 48" apart
Hardy in zones
5a-8b
very cold to frosty winters
Native in Illinois
No
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Native across 5 US states and Canadian provinces - a wide-ranging part of North America's plant communities.
Cold hardiness
These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.
Now
Zone 6b
Plotwright
USDA Zone 6b
-5°F to 0°F
Well-suited
Zone 7a
Plotwright
0°F to 5°F
Well-suited
In plain terms: This location has cold winters. Its winters are projected to keep warming through 2050.
✓
Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.
Heat tolerance
Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.
Loading AHS heat-zone data for this location...
Where this plant fits
Suitable across 40 ecoregions - 34 climate-resilient through 2070 · 5 suited today · 1 newly possible by 2070. Best matches first.
Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests
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Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
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Arizona Mountains forests
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Blue Mountains forests
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Canadian Aspen forests and parklands
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Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests
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Central Tallgrass prairie
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Central-Southern Cascades Forests
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Colorado Rockies forests
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Cross-Timbers savanna-woodland
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Educator packet
Plant packet
Dwarf fothergilla educator packet
Dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii), also called dwarf witch alder, is a compact, slow-growing deciduous shrub of the southeastern US coastal plain, native from North Carolina south through South Carolina and Georgia to Alabama and the Florida panhandle. It earns its place for two clear seasons of interest. In spring, before or just as the leaves unfold, it carries short, fragrant, bottlebrush-like spikes of tiny petal-less flowers, and the whole white show comes from a dense mass of stamens rather than from any petals. In autumn the tidy blue-green leaves colour up in a mix of yellow, orange, and red, often several of those tones on one plant at once. It is a well-behaved small native shrub, usually staying around 2 to 3 feet high and about as wide, that wants an acidic, humus-rich, evenly moist but well-drained soil and full sun to part shade. In the wild it grows in wet pine savannas, pocosins, and bog margins, so it dislikes hot, dry, or limy ground and can spread slowly into a colony by root suckers.
Scientific name
Fothergilla gardenii
Plant type
shrub
Hardiness
5a-8b
Light
full-sun, part-shade
Moisture
consistent
Spacing
48 inches
Classroom prompts
- Which plant traits are observations, and which are care recommendations?
- How would this plant fit change if the garden location moved warmer, colder, wetter, or drier?
- Which source-backed facts would you cite in a lesson handout?
Use the Sources & citations section below for page citation styles and the field-level source list.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii). Retrieved 2026, July 14, from https://plotwright.com/plants/fothergilla-gardenii
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited - 18 source-backed.
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
University extension service
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
Seasonal interest
Growth stages
Lifecycle
Regional guidance
Success tips
Designer notes