Fothergilla or Father Gilla plant - Ask Extension
Our 15 year old father gilla plant is suddenly curling and turning brown. It started in the back toward the house. It’s been a very healthy plant ...
Knowledgebase
Fothergilla or Father Gilla plant #944048
Asked September 02, 2026, 8:14 AM EDT
Our 15 year old father gilla plant is suddenly curling and turning brown. It started in the back toward the house. It’s been a very healthy plant until a few weeks ago. Any ideas? See picture.
Carroll County Maryland
Expert Response
Although we can't determine the exact cause of dieback from the photo, one likely culprit is Botryosphaeria canker, a fungal disease that can opportunistically infect stressed plants. During the past ~2 years of drought, was the shrub monitored for watering needs and occasionally irrigated? Or, is it growing near a roof downspout outlet, which (when we do get heavy rains) might flood the root zone with excess water? Fothergilla isn't very tolerant of saturated roots, but it also could develop secondary problems like the canker infection if impacted by drought (it won't necessarily wilt right away if the roots get too dry).
Regardless of the cause, the branches with brown leaves are unfortunately probably dead or too weakened to recover and can be pruned off. There is no fungicide that can cure existing disease or reverse symptoms, so for now, just monitor the plant for watering needs and try to make sure it doesn't get water when it's not needed. (Feel the soil about five or six inches deep next to the roots, watering only once the soil feels fairly dry to the touch at that depth. The linked page has guidance.)
Botryosphaeria and other branch infections don't typically kill roots, so the shrub will likely regrow to fill-in gaps left by dieback and pruning, although it probably won't start until next year given how late it is in the growing season. If the plant is instead afflicted with a vascular wilt disease (such as Verticillium Wilt), then it may decline further, but there would be no remedy for that if it was the culprit.
When pruning off the dead branches, you can examine the wood in cross-section (and under the bark of the trimmed branches) to look for stained sections that may imply there was an infection in the branch (as opposed to a root-borne disease or another cause of dieback). The wood stain symptoms can be hard to find, though, so a lack of visible dark-stained wood in the affected growth doesn't necessarily mean a wilt or canker disease wasn't present. Canker infections tend to cause a sunken or shriveled (or sometimes cracked), darker patch of bark on the affected branch, but here too, it's sometimes subtle and hard to see.
Miri
Regardless of the cause, the branches with brown leaves are unfortunately probably dead or too weakened to recover and can be pruned off. There is no fungicide that can cure existing disease or reverse symptoms, so for now, just monitor the plant for watering needs and try to make sure it doesn't get water when it's not needed. (Feel the soil about five or six inches deep next to the roots, watering only once the soil feels fairly dry to the touch at that depth. The linked page has guidance.)
Botryosphaeria and other branch infections don't typically kill roots, so the shrub will likely regrow to fill-in gaps left by dieback and pruning, although it probably won't start until next year given how late it is in the growing season. If the plant is instead afflicted with a vascular wilt disease (such as Verticillium Wilt), then it may decline further, but there would be no remedy for that if it was the culprit.
When pruning off the dead branches, you can examine the wood in cross-section (and under the bark of the trimmed branches) to look for stained sections that may imply there was an infection in the branch (as opposed to a root-borne disease or another cause of dieback). The wood stain symptoms can be hard to find, though, so a lack of visible dark-stained wood in the affected growth doesn't necessarily mean a wilt or canker disease wasn't present. Canker infections tend to cause a sunken or shriveled (or sometimes cracked), darker patch of bark on the affected branch, but here too, it's sometimes subtle and hard to see.
Miri
