I’ve been known to complain sometimes about winter in the Okanagan (who doesn’t?), but I have to admit that this season can give the gardener an opportunity to notice some things that may go unnoticed during the other seasons.
This only applies if you actually take the time to look around, and judging by the number of people who have commented to me, many of you are looking around and noticing the showy berries of the pyracantha, or firethorn. Because of the good berry set on many ornamental shrubs this year pyracantha are hard to miss this winter.
Pyracantha is ideal for an evergreen presence on sunny walls or fences, where they can be trained onto trellises and grown as an espalier. They’ll also grow well in partial shade, as they do quite nicely outside of our garden centre on a north facing wall. The best berry production, however, comes in full sun.
Because of their thorny branches they are often used as a barrier or screen, forming an almost impenetrable mass as they mature. Pruning is an important task, no matter how unpleasant it may be. Without regular pruning this quick-growing shrub can become a very ragged specimen. One garden writer described it as “wild and woolly.”
Pruning can be done at any time during the growing season. At our garden centre we generally do a heavy pruning in the early spring to control its overall size.
Pyracantha has white blooms in the summer that are quite showy, but also fairly odiferous, smelling like those of its relative the pear. Being an evergreen shrub they must have adequate moisture going into the winter, so be sure to water the ground well in late fall before the ground freezes.
In extremely cold winters I have seen pyracantha killed right to the ground in the valley, only to grow back from the roots next spring and look marvelous again by the next fall.
A host of cultivars are available in garden centres in spring. You can buy them already trained on a stake or a trellis, or in bush form. Pyracantha will grow quite rapidly once they are established. They appreciate a good, rich soil and you can fertilize them annually with an all-purpose balanced fertilizer like 6-8-6.
YUKON BELLE-This is supposedly the hardiest of the orange-berried forms. Most references list it as hardy to Zone 4. It has an upright and spreading habit, and grows to eight feet high and wide.
ORANGE GLOW-Popular because of its hardiness and its heavy crop of reddish-orange berries. This variety grows more upright, making it a good choice for espalier training onto a wall or fence.
KASAN-Orange-red berries, with a spreading habit to about eight feet tall and wide. This variety originated in Russia, and is hardy to Zone 5.
MOHAVE-Although this variety is only hardy to Zone 6 it usually produces a heavy crop of white blooms and bright orange-red berries in fall. It can grow up to ten feet tall and wide.
GOLDEN CHARMER-Not for everyone, but I think this cultivar, with its golden yellow berries, is quite attractive. It certainly stands out against a dark background.
