Wild cotoneaster

How to recognise it

Growth habit

Low, deciduous shrub of 0.5–2 m, usually no taller than 1 m, with stiff, widely spreading branches. Young twigs are hairy at first, later brown and smooth.

Leaf

Alternate, oval to almost round, 2–5 cm, with a smooth edge without teeth. Upper side dull green and almost hairless, underside grey and felted.

Flower

Small, with pinkish-white, upright petals that stay almost closed; in small, nodding clusters of 1–4, from April to June.

Fruit

Round, glossy, bright red and hairless little apple of 6–8 mm with a few hard stones; ripe in August–September, hanging on short stalks.

Roots

Deep and well branched: they work their way into rock crevices and anchor the plant firmly on steep slopes.

Confusion with

Felted cotoneaster (Cotoneaster tomentosus) has larger leaves, more flowers per cluster and hairy fruits. Garden cotoneasters such as Cotoneaster horizontalis have herringbone branches and small, glossy leaves without felt; they sometimes escape onto the same rocks.

Flowering: April–June · Pruning: February–March

Why grow it?

• A genuine native of our limestone rocks: rare, and therefore all the more valuable in a wildlife garden on chalky soil.
• The small flowers in April–June attract bees, bumblebees and wasps, which find nectar and pollen in them.
• The little red fruits in August–September feed thrushes, blackbirds and robins.
• Stays low and compact: suited to a rock garden, a retaining wall or a dry bank.
• Very drought-tolerant and fully hardy, so a good choice for a climate-resilient garden.
• Attractive in three seasons: pink buds in spring, red fruits in late summer and grey-green leaves.

Wild cotoneaster: where does it grow best?

• In the wild: sunny limestone rocks, rock ledges, scree slopes and the edges of dry chalk grassland and scrub.
• In the garden: full sun. It tolerates light shade, but then flowers and fruits less.
• Dry, free-draining, chalky to neutral soil: stony, sandy or gravelly. It cannot stand wet feet.
• Lovely in a rock garden, between the stones of a dry-stone wall, on a sunny bank or in a gravel garden.

Goes well with

• Common rock-rose: A low, yellow-flowered chalk plant that likes the same dry, sunny spot.
• Wild marjoram: Flowers in summer, after the cotoneaster has finished, and attracts many butterflies.
• Large thyme: Fragrant purple cushions between the stones at its feet.
• Kidney vetch: Yellow flower heads on poor chalky soil; food plant of the small blue butterfly.

Wild cotoneaster: when and how to plant it?

1. Buy it from a native plant nursery or a specialist nursery and ask for plants of wild European origin. Never dig up plants in the wild: the species is very rare here.
2. Plant in October–November or in March, when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
3. Make the soil free-draining: mix heavy soil with gravel or crushed stone, and add no compost or fertiliser.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as in its pot, firm the soil well and give it a full watering can.
5. Allow about 1 m of space per plant; in a small group, plant them 80 cm apart.
6. In the first year, water only now and then during long dry spells; after that it is no longer needed.

Care

Water

Only in the first year, during prolonged drought. An established plant copes perfectly well on dry soil.

Feeding

Not needed: on poor soil it stays compact and healthy. Fertiliser gives soft, vulnerable wood.

Weeding

For the first few years, keep grasses and rampant plants away from the base: it grows slowly and tolerates little competition.

Mulch

Use gravel or crushed stone around the base rather than bark: this keeps the base of the stem dry and warm.

Fruits

Leave them for the birds; pick only a handful if you want to sow your own.

Tip: Give it the poorest, driest and sunniest spot you have, preferably between stones: the poorer the soil, the more compact the shrub and the more it flowers and fruits.

Pruning and mowing

Pruning months: February–March.

When: Rarely needed. If necessary, in February–March, before the leaves come out.

How:

• Cut out dead, broken and crossing branches.
• Shorten branches that are too long to just above a side branch: this keeps the natural, stiff shape.
• Every few years, remove an old branch at the base if the shrub becomes too dense.
• Disinfect your secateurs between plants, especially if you suspect fire blight.

Caution: Hard pruning costs you flowers and fruits for a few years: prune little and gradually.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

In autumn, take the stones out of ripe fruits and sow them straight away outdoors in a pot of sandy soil. They need a cold period and often only germinate after one or two years.

Cuttings

Semi-ripe cuttings of 8–10 cm in July–August, in a mix of sand and potting compost under plastic. They root slowly.

Layering

In spring, peg a low branch down into the soil; after a year it has roots and you can cut it free.

Wild cotoneaster: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Drops its leaves in autumn; the bare, stiff branches look attractive between the stones.
• Fully hardy, down to about −30 °C: no protection needed.
• Fruits that stay on the shrub still feed birds in early winter.
• Wet winters on heavy soil are more dangerous than frost: make sure drainage is good.

Diseases and pests

• Fire blight: A bacterial disease in which flower clusters and shoots suddenly wilt and turn brownish black, as if scorched. Cut affected branches back well into healthy wood, disinfect your secateurs and put the prunings in the household waste, not on the compost heap.
• Root rot: On wet, heavy soil the roots rot. Plant it higher, between stones or on a bank.
• Aphids: Sometimes on young shoots in spring. Ladybirds and other natural enemies usually clear them up.
• Being overgrown: Fast-growing grasses and shrubs take away its light. Keep the spot open and sunny.

Through the year

• February: Light pruning if needed: remove dead and crossing branches.
• March: Plant or move. Last pruning before the leaves come out.
• April: New leaves and the first pink buds.
• May: Full flower: bees and wasps on the blossoms.
• June: Last flowers. Weed around the base.
• July: Take semi-ripe cuttings. The fruits are still green.
• August: The fruits turn red. Water young plants only.
• September: Ripe fruits for the birds. Collect seed.
• October: Plant. Sow the stones in a pot outdoors. Leaves fall.
• November: Plant while the soil is not frozen.

Did you know?

• The species name integerrimus means ‘completely entire’ and refers to the leaf edge without teeth.
• Cotoneaster comes from the Latin cotoneum, quince, with the suffix -aster, ‘somewhat resembling’: the felted leaves recall those of the quince.
• Like apple and pear it belongs to the rose family: the red fruits are really tiny apples with hard stones.