In late April to May the Fothergillas are covered with bottlebrush spikes of white fragrant flowers that can bloom for two to three weeks. (Photo by Ginny Rosenkranz)
When choosing plants for the home landscape, search for some interesting native plants.
Native plants typically require less care because they are accustomed to our climate, insects and other environmental conditions.
Yes, the insects will eat some of the plants but not enough to kill the plant.
Native plants that have grown up with the Eastern Shore climates and those soils would need very little in the way of any fertilizers because they have already adapted and will thrive without or with very little extra care.
All that is required is understanding the horticulture of the plants. Do they like sun or shade, dry soils or moist soils or really wet soils?
The Eastern Shore has such a large range of soil types that there are countless plants that will grow with very little care once they are planted in the right soil type, dry, moist or wet.
One interesting native shrub is Fothergilla.
Fothergilla x intermedia, or “Blue Shadow,” is a native shrub that loves to grow in moist, acidic, well-drained soils and blooms from late April into May.
Like a lot of native plants, the “Blue Shadow” can spread by root suckers creating a colony, so trimming out those suckers at the soil line once a year will keep the plants contained.
All Fothergilla plants are deciduous shrubs with the largest, F. major growing up to 6-10 feet tall to the f. gardenia growing only two to three feet tall and the hybrid, F. x intermedia growing to a height in-between three and five feet tall.
Knowing how tall they grow helps in planning where they will be planted.
Planting a shrub or a tree that will outgrow the site will become a problem every year when the plant needs to be pruned to stay within its area.
Plants should be chosen for size, shape, leaves and flowers — both color and fragrance.
In late April to May the Fothergillas are covered with bottlebrush spikes of white fragrant flowers that can bloom for two to three weeks.
Fothergilla x intermedia “Blue Shadow” is a compact shrub that starts out with green leaves that quickly mature to a soft powder blue color and stays that soft blue all summer long.
In the autumn the leaves change to bright shades of yellows, oranges and reds.
Fothergilla x intermedia “Blue Shadow” is a four-season star in many Eastern Shore gardens because of its featured springtime flowers, summer and autumn color of the foliage plus the interesting architecture of the branches in the winter.
(Editor’s Note: Ginny Rosenkranz is a commercial horticulture specialist with the University of Maryland Extension.)
