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| Pyracantha coccinea
Scarlet firethornCulture: This is a fairly tough plant, tolerating full sun to partial shade and dry to moist soils. It performs best in acidic or neutral soils. Because it is somewhat difficult to transplant, plants are offered for sale as either containerized or balled and burlapped. Attempting to make this plant look uniform in the landscape can be a difficult task because of its non-uniform stiff branching. Pruning off an errant stem tip leaves the stem looking decapitated. Like many other Rosaceous plants, this species is susceptible to fireblight and scab. Avoid excessive fertilization to help control fireblight and consider alternative plants in areas where this disease is a frequent problem. Scab and leaf blight can leave plants looking brown. Usage: This species can make an effective barrier plant or thorny hedge which will limit through traffic. Plants heavily sheared will have greatly diminished flowering and fruiting. This species is often used as an espalier, and can often be purchased pruned and fastened to a small trellis. The fruits make a very effective display on an espalier. |
