Coralberry

Questions about coralberry

Does coralberry need sun or shade?

Coralberry grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).

It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.

What zones does coralberry grow in?

USDA zones 2 to 7. It is hardy to zone 2, which means it survives winter nights down to about −40 °F (−40 °C).

Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does coralberry flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers mid July to early August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should coralberry be planted?

4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 ft (180 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many coralberry plants do I need?

Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.

In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.

Is coralberry poisonous to dogs and cats?

Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs and cats. The berries cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten.

Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.

Is there a pet-safe plant like coralberry?

These come closest to doing what coralberry does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:

• Beautyberry 'Early Amethyst': the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour; an anchor, not a carpet, medium leaves, not fine.
• Sweetfern: the same job in a bed; belongs in the middle, not at the back, 12 in shorter.
• Cranberry cotoneaster: the same job in a bed and the same colour; belongs in the middle, not at the back, 12 in shorter.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat coralberry?

They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.

Will coralberry spread?

It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is high. Spreads fast by runners that root at the tips, and forms thickets. Use it only where it has room.

What flowers after coralberry?

Coralberry is over by early August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• White wood aster: from late August to early October, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
• Japanese anemone: from mid August to early October, 3 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.

What does coralberry look like in winter?

Coralberry drops its leaves and stands as bare branches: it is grown for winter berries for birds. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.

Is coralberry good for bees and butterflies?

Coralberry is visited by pollinators, bees and songbirds.

It is native to the United States.