Witch Alder

Witch alder ‘Blue Shadow’ is a deciduous fothergilla selected for glaucous blue-green leaves and strong autumn color. Plant Patent 15,490 identifies the cultivar as Fothergilla major ‘Blue Shadow’ and records it as a bud sport of ‘Mt. Airy’. ## Foliage and flowers The rounded leaves carry a blue-green bloom and turn red, orange, yellow, and purple in fall. Fragrant, white bottlebrush flowers open in spring, often as new leaves emerge. The patent gives USDA Zones 4–9. Published size accounts vary: the [patent description](https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/93/9f/06/cd05014a6dc69e/USPP15490.pdf) reports a shrub reaching 3 m high and wide, while the [RHS profile](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/269536/fothergilla-gardenii-blue-shadow/details) lists 0.5–1 m. Allow for a larger mature spread where growing conditions are favorable. ## Siting Choose sun or part shade. Keep the soil acidic, moist, and well drained; clay, loam, and sand are listed as suitable textures. Fothergillas flower and color best with good light, while some afternoon shade can help where summer heat dries the soil. Clemson Extension’s [fothergilla guide](https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/fothergilla/) discusses siting and pruning across the genus. ## Maintenance Little shaping is normally needed. If pruning is required, do it just after spring flowering; this leaves time for the shrub to set the buds that produce the next display.