Source: ShrubBucket (NY)
Size shipped: #2 pot (measured 1'+)
Planted: In ground, March 2021
First flowering: April 2021 or at the nursery
(This plant stayed behind when I moved in 2021; therefore, the following text will receive no further updates.)
It's blue, it's native, it's fragrant in the spring, and it should fit in nicely with the 'Carolina Sapphire' Arizona cypress (also blue) and the Wilton's creeping juniper (also blue) out by the street. Oh yeah, we can put it by the street because fothergilla/witch-alder is also tolerant of road salt.
Unfortunately this one was a bit potbound, and I ended up having to shave off the sides of the rootball when the outer roots wouldn't otherwise cooperate. Hopefully it was late enough in the dormant season that the loss of energy reserves was minimal.
Coming back from Memorial Day 2021 gave me an unpleasant surprise when I found out that this fothergilla had lost perhaps half its foliage to browsing, especially since fothergilla is supposed to be deer resistant according to multiple sources. Here's hoping the animals allow it enough time to recover properly before they try it again.