Native Plant of the Month | Dwarf witch alder (Fothergilla gardenii)

Even though not native to Long Island, dwarf witch-alder is found naturally in the coastal areas of the southeast but is easily grown throughout its Zone 5-9 range. Though it grows best in moist, fertile, well-drained soils in full sun, it is also quite at home in our sandy loams and in partial shade. Established plants can weather occasional drought quite well, especially if they are shaded from the hot afternoon summer sun.

Dwarf witch-alder can sucker with age and form small thickets, but generally it is a small, neat, deciduous shrub that becomes a mound that’s 3-4 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide. In mid-spring, before leaves emerge, petal-less flowers appear abundantly in bottlebrush-like clusters at the ends of stems and branches and scent the air with their sweet, spicy fragrance.

Known as a 3-season shrub, dwarf witch-alder has attractive summer foliage that is thick, rounded with wavy edges, gray-green and coarse in texture. In October and November, this foliage turns vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow and holds this color throughout the fall until a very hard frost.

Dwarf witch-alder is a versatile shrub. It makes a great informal hedge or foundation planting. It’s also at home in masses along woodland edges, in open woodland or in wet meadows. A single plant can add structure and multi-seasonal interest to any cottage garden.

At Bridge Gardens, we have 2 large plantings of witch-alder, one mature, one recently planted. We planted 2 varieties, ‘Blue Mist’ and ‘Mount Airy.’ Both are good cultivars, especially the latter, which vigorously grows to almost 5 feet tall. One planting is behind the stone bench opposite the orchard, under the big white pines along the south edge of the property. The other is on the north side of the Garden House, near the stairs leading to the ivy maze.