Quick Guide: spring, hardy, full sun, height: 2.4m/8ft, width: 1.8m/6ft

Native to the United States, fothergillas are handsome shrubs highly valued for the brilliant tints of their autumn foliage. The flowers are composed not of petals but numerous white stamens arranged in bottle-brush-like spikes. Sweetly scented, they appear in spring before the leaves unfurl.

GROWING Plant in late autumn or spring in light, lime-free soil into which peat or humus has previously been incorporated. Fothergillas tolerate light shade. No pruning is necessary.

PROPAGATION By layering in autumn. The layers generally take-2 years to take root, at which point they may be separated from the parent plant and transferred to their permanent sites.

SPECIES Fothergilla major, oval mid-green leaves, grey-blue underneath, take on orange, yellow or red colouring in autumn; F. monticola, leaves completely green when young, red or orange in autumn, of more spreading habit than F. rnajor.

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS Generally trouble-free.