Legend of the Small Bottlebrush Fothergilla x intermedia Legend of the Small® 'NCFI1'
Other Common Name(s):
- Description
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Legend of the Small® is a deciduous shrub cultivar of the bottlebush shrub in the witch hazel family (Hamamelidaceae) bred by Dr. Tom Ranney of NCSU. It is a dwarf fothergilla growing only 2 to 2.5 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide.
It will tolerate shade but for best flowering and fall color, provide this shrub with at least 4 to 6 hours of sun in moist, humus-rich, acidic, well-drained soils. Little pruning is required of the dense upright and spreading growth. Fertilize during the growing season with a specially-formulated acidic fertilizer.
Legend of the Small® flowers in spring before leafing out with fragrant, white, showy flowers on spikes in the typical bottlebrush form. They are nectar-rich for spring pollinators. The blue-green leaves turn a brilliant yellow, red and orange in fall, giving it three seasons of interest.
Use this bottlebrush in the border of pollinator and cottage gardens. It can be used in groups as an understory plant or in mixed shrub hedges. It will also do well in a container as the 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems.
VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape :
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Fothergilla
- Species:
- x intermedia
- Family:
- Hamamelidaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Wildlife Value:
- Pollinators are attracted to the nectar-rich flowers
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Deer resistant.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 9 in.
- Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Description:
- Fruit is an ornamentally insignificant, two-seeded, beaked capsule that matures in fall (September to October), ejecting its black seeds.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Spike
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Description:
- White fragrant flowers on spikes that resemble bottlebrushes. April through May, flowers appear before leaves.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Blue
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Leathery
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Orange
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Oblong
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Alternate, simple, ovate hairy, leathery blue-green leaves; 1 to 2.5 inches long. Slighly toothed upper margin, smooth on the lower half and a quilted bumpy appearance. Orange, yellow to scarlet fall color.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Container
- Landscape Theme:
- Cottage Garden
- Fairy Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Small groups
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
