Fothergilla major 'Blue Shadow'

At last, a truly vigorous blue-leafed Fothergilla, with all the vigor of its green cousins plus terrific steely tones on its leaves! This sport of Mt. Airy is certain to delight you from spring through fall in the partly shaded garden, offering new colors for every season!

The show begins in early spring, when hundreds of 2-inch bottlebrush-like blooms of pure white cover this shrub. Smelling richly of honey, they begin the garden season in earnest, making a fine companion to bulbs. Then the steel-blue foliage really comes into its own, offering brilliant contrast to green- and yellow-leafed plants. And in fall, the leaves turn bright shades of orange and red! Such a lot of beauty from such a small shrub.

If you've tried older blue-leafed Fothergillas and found them poor garden performers, so have I. Blue Shadow is a different story. It was spotted growing among a greenhouse full of Mt. Airy plants, and was carefully propagated, grown, and tested for 5 full years before being introduced. It has proven very adaptable to a variety of climates, and rugged in all of them.

Part of its vigor comes from the leaf texture itself. These leaves, which can reach 4 inches long and 2 inches wide, are very waxy, so that moisture is held in and water droplets bead on the surface instead of saturating the foliage. This creates a magnificent "mercury" effect when dappled sunlight strikes the plant in early morning or after a rainfall!

Plant Blue Shadow in partial to half shade to keep the blue color rich and strong through summer, spacing this shrub about 3 feet away from neighboring plants. At maturity Blue Shadow will reach 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide. Zones 4-8.

Item Form: Gallon
Height: 6 feet
Width: 5 feet