Rockspray cotoneaster

Questions about rockspray cotoneaster

Does rockspray cotoneaster need sun or shade?

Rockspray cotoneaster 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 rockspray cotoneaster grow in?

USDA zones 5 to 7. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °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 rockspray cotoneaster flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers late May to early June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.

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 rockspray cotoneaster 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 6½ ft (200 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 2½ ft (80 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many rockspray cotoneaster 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 rockspray cotoneaster 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 rockspray cotoneaster?

Rockspray cotoneaster comes from Central & Southern China and Taiwan. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:

• Shrubby cinquefoil: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 24 in narrower, flowers early June to mid September.
• Ninebark 'Little Devil': the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; belongs at the back, not in the middle, 12 in taller.
• Juniper 'Grey Owl': the same job in a bed and the same size; grown for its leaves, not its flowers, keeps its leaves in winter.

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

Do deer eat rockspray cotoneaster?

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.

Will rockspray cotoneaster spread?

It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Birds spread the seed, and it has escaped into the wild on the West Coast.

What flowers after rockspray cotoneaster?

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

• Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Yarrow: from mid June to late August, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Daylily: from late June to early August, 2½ ft tall.

What does rockspray cotoneaster look like in winter?

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

Is rockspray cotoneaster good for bees and butterflies?

Rockspray cotoneaster is visited by bees and songbirds.