Martin Fish sings the praises of berry-rich cotoneaster
There’s a plant that will suit your garden, whatever the size
Cotoneasters are popular and versatile garden plants and the range we can grow in our gardens is diverse and interesting.
Regardless of the size of your garden there’s a cotoneaster that’s suitable. Some are low-growing ground cover plants such as ‘Coral Beauty’, or you can also get small standards that look great in containers on a patio. For larger borders, many grow much taller and make large shrubs or small trees. The good thing about them is they’re hardy, grow in just about any garden soil and are attractive for much of the year, with their foliage, flowers and bright berries. At this time of the year the berries add colour to the garden and provide food for garden birds. The evergreen foliage and berries can also be used with great effect in autumn and winter arrangements for the house or to stand outside by a door. The large, shrubby types that are perfect to cut from include, C. lacteus, ‘Cornubia’ and C. watereri ‘John Waterer’, all of which have deep red berries from October onwards. Another good one is ‘Rothschildianus’, with its golden-yellow fruits. I regularly cut stems with berries on to use mainly outside or in a small, unheated porch to provide a colourful display. The stems will stay fresh in water for two or three weeks, as long as you make a long, sloping cut at the base of the stem and change the water weekly. You also need to remove the lower leaves and berries to prevent them from rotting in the water. The berried stems can be used in decorative arrangements with other berries and flowers, but I like to keep it plain and simple by mixing them with a few stems of variegated foliage, such as elaeagnus, and stand them outside the back door where I can appreciate it all on a daily basis.