Fothergilla 'Mount Airy' is most appreciated for its multicolored display of yellows, oranges, and reds in autumn. In spring and summer its foliage is deep blue green. The medium-sized leaves resemble those of witchhazel and clothe this deciduous shrub nearly to the ground. Flowers are borne in April and early May and have a faint honey scent. The small, individual white flowers are held in 1- to 2-inch-high bottlebrush-like spikes. The multiple-stemmed rounded habit of Fothergilla 'Mount Airy' makes it an excellent plant for the shrub border and an effective complement to broadleaf evergreens and early spring bulbs.