Pyracantha, Friend or Foe?

Posted in Gallery, landscaping, plant profiles, shrubs

I grow pyracantha,Pyracantha coccinea, and love it. I wouldn’t be without it, but it is quite wicked, and shows no mercy to the unprepared gardener. It has long thorns all along the branches that are stiff and very sharp. When working around it, gloves and long sleeves are a necessity. I once saw a pyracantha trained up a wall to the height of the second story roof, and it is that picture in my mind that catches my fancy. Knowing what I now know of its tearing thorns, my memory might not be so kind, but I was a child and along the walk to school the changing colors and beauty of this sight attracted me. It is the bright orange berries of fall persisting into winter that first caused me to plant it, but now the winter visits of birds right in my window are what I most enjoy. The spring bloom is just the icing on the cake.

Pyracantha, the firethorn, is a sprawly, rangy shrub and I have seen some people hack it into hedge shapes of privet form, but really that is an atrocity I couldn’t impose upon it. Where would be the beauty of the foam of creamy flowers in the spring or the gorgeous and gaudy berries in the autumn? Pyracantha grown with espaliered form is much more pleasing. Although it is during prunings that the thorns get you.

pyracantha berries

Thorns, though, do have their uses. They prove to be good barriers where trespassers are not wanted (home security qualities), and give protective cover to birds. The semi-evergreen leaves are polished and shiny, giving fine texture and the branches are craggy with interesting juts and turns. A fine garden companion from a distance. Presently I have some butterfly weed,’Asclepias tuberosa‘ at the feet along with the lily of the valley stand. The color of the butterfly weed is just the shade of orange as the berries and I’m very happy with the pairing. I also have some Echinacea purpurea in that bed, and so far its central cones reflect the oranges while its warm pink contrasts without clashing, although their blooms barely overlap in season. A tip-off to a good flower combination is to see if one of the companions colors are found somewhere in the stamen or pistil, or as an accent on a petal or sepal, in the other flower. The coneflowers and the butterfly weeds are native to prairies, so they get along well together. The lily of the valley is the upstart, but it is a welcome one. The Alchymist rose is also nearby, with its climbing habit and apricot blooms, but it flowers earlier than the appearance of the orange shades.

pyracantha in bloom

[growing conditions]

  • soil: well drained, tolerates alkaline soil
  • moisture: average, but tolerates drought once established
  • sun: full to part sun
  • hardiness: Zone 5a to 8b

[appearance]

  • spring blooms of creamy white
  • leathery, good looking, deep green leaves, small ovate shaped
  • strong, rangy branching system
  • semi-evergreen
  • beautiful berries(berry-like pomes), often orange but sometimes ochre yellow, or red orange
  • height/width: 6-12 feet or more but easily shaped and kept in bounds with pruning
  • naturally upright

through the window
[fun facts]
Good for birds, providing food and nesting source. Plant one by a window and watch the birds in all sorts of weather.

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