Birds Love Cotoneasters

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 142, 18 June 1938, Page 14 (Supplement)

Birds Love Cotoneasters

A VALUABLE addition to the ever-increasing berried shrubs available for garden decoration is the cotoneaster. They seldom fail to produce a good crop of bright red berries, and it is astonishing how long these are left on the trees without interference from birds. Cotoneaster frigida is literally covered with berries until late in winter, and then birds will suddenly deckle they had been there quite long enough, and all the berries will be cleared off in about two weeks. This particular species, C. frigida, makes rapid growth and it is quite easy to grow up a young standard tree with a good head on it in four or five years' time. 0. Simonsii is often planted as a hedse ami serves the purpose quite well, but does not look well unless carefully pruned. It is of upright growth and fruits on the previous season's wood; consequently it should be pruned ao that there is always a number of young growths coming from the base.

C. thymifolia and C. horiz.ontalis are of horizontal growth and look handsome bunging over a low wall, where they usually oeri-y well, and the foliage takes on a brilliant red colour. They are also useful as a shrub at the top of the rockery and for covering a steep bank; providing weeds can be controlled they are ideal. C. pannosa has silvery foliage with red berries in winter.

None of these plants demand much attention, either in pruning or cultiva-

tion, which makes them all the more valuable. Thinning the growth on occasion and we 11-drained soil, suits them admirably. In pruning all that i*> necessary is thinning the branchi* or. where they are congested, prune back some of the main growths. Propagation may be carried on by means of cuttings or seeds, in the open ground. Cuttings may be inserted in autumn. Seeds soon germinate if sown in autumn, taking car© that they are never dry.