Plant Type

Shrub, Ground cover

 

Height Range

1-3'

 

Flower Color

White

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Green

 

Bark Color

Brown, Red

 

Fruit Color

Red

 

Fruit Season

Winter, Fall, Persistent

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Low

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

English Cottage, Formal, Mediterranean, Ranch, Seascape, Spanish, Native Garden

 

Accenting Features

Fall Color, Showy Flowers

 

Seasonal Interest

Winter, Fall

 

Location Uses

Shrub Border, Foundation, Parking Strip, Patio, Parking Lot, Raised Planter, Walls / Fences, With Rocks

 

Special Uses

Cascade, Erosion Control, Mass Planting, Naturalizing, Small Spaces

 

Attracts Wildlife

Birds

Bearberry cotoneaster is a semi-evergreen shrub that grows about 1.5 feet tall and 6 feet wide. It has a prostrate habit and makes a dense groundcover. It has dark green, ovate to rounded leaves with prominent veins. Small white flowers appear in spring, followed by small, bright red berries that persist into winter. This is a great plant for banks or hillsides as long as it gets full sun. It becomes drought tolerant once it's established. There are several cultivars in the trade, each with its own special qualities.

Grow in any well-drained soil in full to part sun. Wide range of soil tolerance, and pH tolerant. Branches root where they touch the ground. Cotoneaster get very woody if sheared, so prune selectively to control size and shape; see Guides.