Willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader'
Cotoneaster salicifolius 'Scarlet Leader' · Rosaceae
A vigorous, evergreen groundcover with narrow, glossy, willow-like leaves that turn purple in winter, and bright scarlet berries.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 8 ft wide
- Zones
- 6 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Late May to mid June
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader'
The planner designed this bed around willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' × 1, white
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 10, pink
- 3 Winter heath × 11, purple
- 4 Sweet coneflower 'Henry Eilers' × 4, yellow
- 5 New England aster 'Alma Pötschke' × 3, pink
- 6 Southernwood × 3, grey-green leaves
- 7 Easter lily × 5, white
- 8 Persian fritillary × 5, purple
- 9 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 5, purple
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are open bowls, bells, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does winter heath.
Why here
- Under the taller plants. It runs back between them as living mulch: there its job is to cover the soil, not to be looked at.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for three weeks. From late May to mid June.
- Part of the bed's peak. With bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' and ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' in late May: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 7 groups (86%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' repeats along the bed to tie it together. Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' and winter heath finish the front edge.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
It covers a large bank quickly and keeps its leaves in winter. One of the most disease-resistant cotoneasters.
- Evergreen groundcover for large banks
- Winter foliage colour
- Berries
What to plant with willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Dwarf fountain grass 'Hameln': takes over when it finishes, flowering from late July.
- Glossy abelia: tall enough (5 ft) to stand behind it.
- Lilyturf: carries the spot on into mid September; spires rising out of its mound.
Questions about willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader'
Does willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' need sun or shade?
Willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 8. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Above zone 8 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 willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to mid June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 6 | Late May to mid June |
|---|---|
| Zone 7 | Mid May to early June |
| Zone 8 | Early May to early June |
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 willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' be planted?
5 ft (150 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 8 ft (250 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader'?
Willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' comes from South Central China. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Creeping juniper 'Blue Chip': the same job in a bed; 14 in shorter, grown for its leaves, not its flowers.
- Lowbush blueberry: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 8 in shorter, 3½ ft narrower.
- Fragrant sumac 'Gro-Low': the same job in a bed and the same size; belongs in the middle, not at the front, flowers mid April to early May.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader'?
Willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' is over by mid June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Glossy abelia: from mid June to early October, 5 ft tall (a recorded partner).
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
- Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall.
What does willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' look like in winter?
Willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone. It is grown for winter foliage colour as well.
Is willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' good for bees and butterflies?
Willowleaf cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader' is visited by bees, hummingbirds and songbirds.
More Cotoneaster
- Bearberry cotoneaster Cotoneaster dammeri
- Cotoneaster 'Coral Beauty' Cotoneaster dammeri 'Coral Beauty'
- Cranberry cotoneaster Cotoneaster apiculatus
- Hedge cotoneaster Cotoneaster lucidus
- Rockspray cotoneaster Cotoneaster horizontalis
In these guides
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants for hummingbirds
- Plants for bees
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Groundcover plants
- Evergreen shrubs for structure
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub (groundcover)
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 8 ft (250 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late May to mid June; dense clusters; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Comes from
- South Central China
- Attracts
- Bees, hummingbirds, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Rabbits, drought, poor soil
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.