Cotoneaster dielsianus var. elegans

Cotoneaster dielsianus var. elegans is a hardy, undemanding bush, useful to the small animals in our gardens, often picturesque as it ages. Little known and little planted, it nevertheless possesses all the qualities of an excellent variety for an informal. This Chinese cotoneaster is also interesting for its abundant late spring, white to pink flowering which is very attractive to bees and its generous bright red fruiting and beautiful autumn colours. It tolerates clay soils and dry summers.

Costoneaster dielsianus is a bush of the Rosaceae family, just like its cousins the pyracanthas. It is native to the Chinese provinces of Guizhou and Sichuan, where it is found in dense forests between 2000 and 3000 metres (6561 feet 8 inches and 9842 feet 6 inches) above sea level. This tolerant cotoneaster only dislikes excessively chalky and poor soils. Its growth is moderately fast, it naturally develops somewhat untidy vegetation, as wide as it is tall, and will measure on average 2.50 metres (8 feet 2 inches) in all directions. Its habit is spreading, irregular and supported by sparse, arching branches. It blooms in May-June, in the form of numerous umbels of very small nectar-rich, white to pink flowers with 5 petals. The flowers are followed by round berries, 6 to 9 mm (0.2 to 0.4 in) in diameter in September-October, both decorative and sought after by birds. The foliage of this bush is deciduous to semi-evergreen depending on the severity of the winter. It is composed of small alternate ovate leaves, measuring 1 to 2.5 cm (0.4 to 1 in) long, shiny dark green on the upper side, with a grey-yellow felted down on the underside. In autumn, they often turn yellow, brown and red.

Cotoneasters are highly appreciated by novice gardeners or those who don't have much time to devote to garden maintenance: they are accommodating, sturdy and decorative bushes almost all year round. Cotoneaster dielsianus elegans can be used both in shrub beds and as an informal hedge. It is a good border plant, for example to be placed in front of a grove of tall trees. Combine it with Berberis, laurel-tin, Cotoneaster lacteus, Elaeagnus ebbingei, Photinias, and other cherry laurels in a large evergreen, windbreak hedge. It will provide shelter and cover for all the small fauna of the garden. It can also be an unusual specimen planted alone, placed at the corner of a bed or at the end of a pathway.