How do you kill a Fothergilla Mt Airy?

Hmmm I bought a beautiful large ball and burlap specimen of F. Mt. Airy 18 months ago. It went thru the first winter and bloomed very heavily last spring. The leaves seemed to be small last summer though, and now it hardly looks like its made any flower buds. Does it look sparse this time of year before leafing out? It does not get as much sun as it probably wants which may be the problem, but I thought they could tolerate partial shade. The other thing is that I planted it about 2 ft away from the ground out stump of either an oak or maple. It would be a job for the tractor to move this so I don't really want to. What about a soil sample to the extension office? I love this shrub - it always reminds me of the smell of beeswax candles. Any thoughts appreciated.
Andrea

I've killed a couple of them. They seem pretty fussy about getting enough water.

Guy S.

Mine surprises me every spring by looking less than viable until, all of a sudden, I realize it's in bloom. And here that's not usually until very late April.

I have had success with fothergilla by planting in a raised bed, topdressed each year with compost or rotted horse manure. They like a fairly thick mulch since they seem to be shallow-rooted. And I agree with Guy, they like plenty of water. SB

Nice picture. That row of fothergilla must also be stunning in the fall.

I have mine in partial sun where it blooms well -- and gets nice fall color. They are not particularly early to bud out, so patience might be just the ticket. If that's not it, adequate moisture, of course, as others have mentioned might also be a factor. My only other thought is whether there might be an issue with how it was planted. You did remove the burlap, right? It's not rootbound in that hole somehow, is it?

Is it true they prefer acidic soil?

All the guides I've read say something along the lines of "moist, well-drained, acidic." I don't think it's as dependent on an acidic ph as, say, ericaceous plants, but I'm not certain just what the range of its tolerance is.

Stressbaby...that is a gorgeous display of fothergilla....I only have one and had a little trouble with it where it wasn't getting enough sun and I moved it and it is now doing better...definietly likes moisture however.

That row of fothergilla is inspirational! Gorgeous, I bet it smells wonderful on that path.
I dragged the hose up there numerous times last summer and watered deeply and it should have enough mulch on it. I hope mickgene is right about it. But can't you see the leaf and flower buds now? I've looked all over the branches and it doesn't look like there are many buds of any kind. Last spring I was so busy I don't think I ever got time to go look at it.

Mary MD - I couldn't get the burlap off entirely because it was too heavy. But I ripped it when I planted it and last summer pulled away the mulch and made sure the burlap was rotting away - it was almost all gone. I was unable to tease out the roots so maybe thats it. I bet that thing weighed over 120 lbs. I had to take it on a dolly to get it into place and roll it into its hole. I thought because it is a suckering shrub that I wouldn't have to do so much with the roots.

Now that I'm thinking about it maybe I should check how deep the mulch is - maybe too deep? But it is planted raised quite a bit - just the contour of that spot. Dunno, but I will be so disappointed if I lose this one. Thanks so much for your responses.