Willow-leaved cotoneaster is a drought-tolerant, evergreen to semi-evergreen shrub from western China, grown as a groundcover, hedge or screen. It is easy to grow in sun or part shade in well-drained soil.
Family
Rosaceae (Rose family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water young plants regularly until established, then only in long dry spells.
Soil
Well-drained soil; tolerates poor and alkaline soils.
Temperature
Hardy to about -20 °C; protect young plants from severe frost.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Mildly toxic: Seeds and other plant parts of cotoneasters contain compounds that can cause mild stomach upset if eaten in quantity.
Native range
SC. China (to Hunan)
Climate
temperate
About
Cotoneaster salicifolius, the willow-leaved cotoneaster, is a drought-tolerant, evergreen to semi-evergreen, low-lying, small to medium-sized shrub with an arched branching habit. Specimens growing in the wild, however, are generally larger, averaging five meters in height. Although native to the mountains, mixed forests, and open places in western China, it is commonly cultivated in temperate climates worldwide. Cultivars have been bred in a variety of forms, as ornamental groundcovers or shrubs.
How to grow it
Depending on the characteristics of the cultivar, the Willow-leaved Cotoneaster can be used as a hedge or screen; a bank cover; in small groupings or large masses; or anywhere its colorful fall foliage or bright red fruit would direct the eye towards a focal point, or serve as a centerpiece in a garden setting.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cotoneaster salicifolius by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.