I walk by an apartment/townhouse complex with a black wrought iron fence out front covered in beautiful pyracantha shrubs. The vibrant color of the berries makes the fence look stunning. I have walked by here often, and it always looks the same. It’s nice to have evergreen shrubs that don’t change with the seasons. The only climbing plant I have grown is jasmine, and it managed to climb the trellis all by itself. Not sure if you have to do anything special to get pyracantha to climb a fence. Let’s find out.
According to Wikipedia, pyracantha — from Greek pyr "fire" and akanthos "thorn," hence firethorn — is a genus of large, thorny evergreen shrubs in the family Rosaceae, with common names firethorn or pyracantha. They are native to an area extending from Southwest Europe east to Southeast Asia. They resemble and are related to Cotoneaster but have serrated leaf margins and numerous thorns. Cotoneaster is thornless.
Description
The plants reach up to 15 feet tall. Leaves are small and oval. The seven species have small white flowers which are 5-petaled and many stamened. Fruit are either red, orange or yellow berries, technically pomes, a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subtribe Malinae of the family Rosaceae. The flowers are produced during late spring and early summer; the berries develop from late summer and mature in late autumn.
Fruit
The fruit of pyracantha are classified as pomes. The pulp is safe for human consumption, but it is insipid, and the seeds are mildly poisonous as they contain cyanogenic glycosides, as do apples, plums, cherries and almonds. Seeds that are chewed and crushed while raw will release cyanogenic glycosides and can cause mild gastrointestinal problems when eaten in large enough quantities. The fruit can be made into jelly. The fruits persist significantly into winter which makes them a valuable bird food.
Fossil record
A large number of fossil fruits of Pyracantha acuticarpa have been described from middle Miocene strata of the Fasterholt area near Silkeborg in Central Jutland, Denmark.
Cultivation
Pyracanthas are valuable ornamental plants, grown in gardens for their decorative flowers and fruit, often very densely borne. The thorns are easily able to puncture human skin — and when successful — the piercing causes a slight inflammation and severe pain. Their dense thorny structure makes them particularly valued in situations where an impenetrable barrier is required. The aesthetic characteristics of pyracanthas, in conjunction with their home security qualities, make them an alternative to artificial fences and walls. They are also good shrubs for a wildlife garden, providing dense cover for roosting and nesting birds, summer flowers for bees and an abundance of berries as a food source.
Ecology
Pyracantha berries can be dispersed into natural areas, allowing plants to invade natural communities. Species of pyracantha are considered to be invasive in portions of the United States, including the states of California and Georgia. Orange firethorn or Pyracantha angustifolia is considered to be a weed or potential "sleeper" weed in several states or territories of Australia, including Victoria, Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales. As a consequence, importation and propagation are prohibited in some parts of Australia.
Species
Pyracantha angustifolia
Pyracantha angustifolia is a species of shrub in the rose family known by the common names narrowleaf firethorn, slender firethorn and woolly firethorn. The flowers are white and produce small round pomes and can be orange to red in color. These fruits are astringent and bitter, making them inedible for humans, but they are a food source for birds. The leaves, fruit and seeds contain hydrogen cyanide, the source of the bitter taste. The stems and branches have sharp spines. This shrub is cultivated and grown in yards and gardens as an ornamental plant. It can be used to make hedges for home security. This species is native to China but has been introduced to North America and Australia. It is an invasive species in Hawaii and in other areas.
Pyracantha atalantioides
Pyracantha atalantioides — common names: Gigg's firethorn and Sichuan firethorn — is a species of firethorn shrub. Fully grown, the plant is 20 feet tall with its petioles being circa 0.098 inches. Its flowers are white, and they bloom from March to June. Its small berry-shaped pome fruits are red. Its branches have long spines. It is grown in gardens and parks as an ornamental plant. They are also grown as hedges. It is sometimes used in bonsai.
Pyracantha coccinea
Pyracantha coccinea, the scarlet firethorn is the European species of firethorn or red firethorn that has been cultivated in gardens since the late 16th century. The tree has small white flowers. It produces small, bright red berries. The fruit is bitter and astringent, making it inedible when raw. The fruit can be cooked to make jellies, jams, sauces and marmalade. It ranges from southern Europe to western Asia. It has been introduced to North America and cultivated there as an ornamental plant since the 18th century. In England, since the late 18th century, it was used to cover unsightly walls. About 1874, M. Lalande, a nurseryman in Angers, France, selected from seedlings of P. coccinea an improved form, more freely berrying than the type. A sport has produced a yellow-berried form. These, and further selections, have largely ousted the ordinary form from nursery stock.
Pyracantha crenatoserrata
Pyracantha crenatoserrata is a species of firethorn. It is a short shrub. It is cultivated for its decorative bright red pome fruit, inaccurately called berries. The flowers are white. It survives in warm climates. It cannot tolerate frost, but it can withstand drought. This species originates from central China.
Pyracantha crenulata
Pyracantha crenulata, the Nepalese firethorn, Nepal firethorn or Himalayan firethorn, is a species of firethorn. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant. The leaves are used to make herbal tea. The wood can be used to make walking sticks. The pome fruit is orange-red and are food for birds. It is locally named as Ghingharu(घिंगारू) in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, India.
Pyrancantha koidzumii
Pyracantha koidzumii, commonly known as Formosa firethorn or Taiwan firethorn, is a species of plant in the family Rosaceae. It is threatened by habitat loss. The species is 13 feet tall and is native to Taiwan. However, it has been introduced to such U.S. states as Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.
Pyracantha rogersiana
Pyracantha rogersiana, the Asian firethorn, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to western China. Growing to 13 feet tall and broad, it is an evergreen shrub with glossy, narrow leaves and masses of white flowers followed by small yellow berries 8 mm in diameter. It is grown in gardens, yards and parks, where it can be used as hedging, wall cover or in a mixed shrub border. The cultivar Flava has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. The seeds are poisonous if ingested and may result in vomiting.
Site and soil conditions
According to the Royal Horticultural Society, pyracantha is suitable for any moderately fertile garden soil in sun or partial shade, including very dry, free-draining soils and heavy clays, as long as they are not prone to waterlogging. Berrying can be reduced in shady sites, including against north-facing walls. Pyracantha can be grown as a free-standing shrub or hedge or trained against a wall or fence.
Planting
Before planting, enrich the soil in the planting area by adding a bucketful of well-rotted organic matter and 2-3 oz per square yard of balanced general-purpose fertilizer, and then mix with the soil using a fork. Adding organic matter or fertilizer to the bottom of the planting hole is not recommended.
If training pyracantha along a wall or fence, plant at least 20 inches out from the wall to avoid the dry area at the base.
Allow 5-10 feet between specimen plants, but 20 inches is fine between hedging plants.
Watering and feeding
Watering is required to help plants establish in the first couple of years after planting. After this establishment period, watering is very seldom required. Wall-trained specimens may need watering every 10 days in dry spells.
Feed annually, in late winter, with 2-3 oz per square yard of balanced general-purpose fertilizer, followed by a 2-3-inch thick mulch of well-rotted organic matter.
Pruning
Pyracantha flowers mainly on shoots produced the previous year, so when pruning try to retain as much two-year-old wood as possible. Wear thick gloves when pruning; as its common name firethorn suggests, pyracantha bears long and very sharp thorns.
Prune out shoots badly affected by pyracantha scab. These are easy to spot as the leaves — and often the berries too — will be covered in unsightly black scabs.
Pyracantha usually responds reliably to very heavy pruning when overgrown plants need to be renovated. Free-standing shrubs merely need unwanted, damaged or diseased shoots removed in mid-spring.
Training
Pyracantha can be trained against a wall. In general, prune to make the berries more visible and to keep the plants in shape. In spring, cut back outward-growing shoots and shorten other growth as needed. Waiting until after flowering will help to limit loss of berrying wood.
In late summer, shorten all sideshoots that arise from the main framework branches, stopping just short of the clusters of berries — usually about two to three leaves from the base of the side shoot.
If you need to extend the plants, tie new, leafy shoots into wires or trellis. While the shoots are still flexible, they can be trained to frame doors or windows.
Hedges
Trim pyracantha hedges two or three times between spring and the end of summer. Aim to retain as many berries as possible but some will no doubt be lost as you strive to keep the outline.
Problems
Pyracantha can suffer from the diseases pyracantha scab and fireblight. It can also be attacked by pyracantha leaf-mining moth and woolly aphid pests.
Lack of berries can be caused by:
- Pruning too much: Wall-trained plants need an annual haircut with shears to be kept neat. However, this can slice off the flowers and hence berries. If berries are needed, don’t clip the entire plant — just shorten back the sideshoots in mid-summer.
- Poor pollination: This can occur in cold spring weather, particularly where plants are being grown in open situations exposed to strong winds, which can deter insects. It can also occur if plants flower during a wet period, when pollinating insects such as bees are not active.
- Drought: This often occurs against a sunny wall in a dry border and can result in premature berry-drop even though pollination has been successful. Water thoroughly at 10-day intervals in dry conditions until the berries color-up in late summer.
- Lack of feeding: Potassium or potash encourages flowering and fruiting. Apply sulphate of potash at 1 oz per square yard, tomato fertilizer or comfrey pellets in early spring to an area extending at least 3 feet beyond the branch spread.
- Lack of vigor: Plants making only thin, weak annual growth may remain without berries. Check that the growing conditions are suitable, and the plant is not suffering from a pest or disease.
- Frost: Late spring frosts can damage flowers, destroying the plant’s ability to produce berries. Flowers may appear undamaged until examined closely.
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