Cotoneaster franchetii - Coral Berry - 30cm-50cm

Cotoneaster franchetii often called Coral Berry is a vigorous, incredibly resilient semi-evergreen structural shrub that has earned a remarkable reputation as an elite "super plant" for its unparalleled ability to combat urban environmental issues. Thanks to its exceptionally dense canopy and thick, hairy, and textured leaves, it traps at least 20% more airborne particulate pollution, such as car exhaust and road dust, than other common hedging plants.

Key Features

• Foliage & Texture: Features deeply veined, grey-green leaves. The tops are glossy, while the undersides are covered in a dense, white felty pubescence (hairs) that catches the wind. It is semi-evergreen, keeping its foliage in mild regions but dropping leaves in colder winters. 
• Growth Habit & Form: Grows quickly with a graceful, fountain-like architecture of upright-arching cane stems. Left unclipped, it develops a balanced mound roughly 3 metres (10 feet) tall and wide.
• Flowers & Berries: In early summer around June and July, clusters of small, pink-suffused white flowers emerge along the stems. By September and October, these transform into dense, highly decorative clusters of bright orange-red egg-shaped berries that persist long into winter.

Growing Conditions

• Soil Versatility: Incredibly accommodating. It grows easily across sandy, loamy, and heavy clay soils. While it prefers moist, free-draining conditions, it comfortably handles nutrient-poor or highly alkaline/chalky ground. It dislikes only completely waterlogged sites.
• Sunlight Aspect: Thrives best in full sun to partial shade. Full sun stimulates maximum flowering and a heavy winter berry set, though it is famously tough enough to tolerate deep woodland shade at the cost of berry count.
• Hardiness & Exposure: It is highly wind-resistant and salt-tolerant, making it a perfect hedge or shelterbelt choice for exposed coastal Irish gardens.
• It is a premier choice for fast-growing privacy screens and hedges. To establish a dense boundary, bare-root or potted specimens should be spaced roughly 30 to 45 cm (1 to 1.5 feet) apart. It can be trimmed tight or left loose to showcase its arching form.

Wildlife Value

• Bird Magnet: The showy red-orange berries are a critical winter food reservoir for garden birds. Thrushes and blackbirds devour them eagerly as the winter sets in. 
• Insect Support: The nectar-rich spring flower clusters are highly attractive to honeybees, bumblebees, hoverflies, and other beneficial pollinators, acting as an important early summer feeding station.
• Nesting Cover: The dense, structural weave of arching branches creates premium low-level shelter and thermal nesting pockets for small birds seeking safety from winter frost and predators.