Cotoneaster plants
Cotoneaster plants comprise a group of both evergreen and deciduous shrubs in a variety of shapes and sizes from tree-like shrubs to ground-hugging, prostrate varieties that are well suited as ground cover plants to suppress weeds. Despite all these variations there is a general feature which make them valuable shrubs in any garden - an abundance of showy berries and rich autumn foliage colour. Pink buds open into masses of small white flowers in May and June, clothing the plant in a highly decorative display. All cotoneasters are hardy and tolerant of poor conditions - they will grow almost anywhere and need no attention apart from cutting back if they start to get out of hand. Cotoneaster horizontalis, also known as Fish Bone Cotoneaster, is a common sight in gardens, trained up a brick wall or spreading as a low bush. Evergreen cotoneasters offer many splendid choices including Cotoneaster dammeri, one of the finest ground covers in the whole plant kingdom.