Cotoneaster integrifolius - Small-leaved Cotoneaster

Cotoneaster integrifolius, sometimes called the small-leaved cotoneaster or more rarely thyme-leaved cotoneaster, is a small evergreen bush with a prostrate habit and dense growth that is traditionally used for landscaping large rockeries. It has tiny, shiny, dark green leaves and produces white flowers in spring followed by small round fruits that turn red when ripe. This species thrives with little and adapts well to any well-drained garden soil, even poor and dry in summer.

Cotoneaster integrifolius (synonym C. microphyllus) belongs to the Rosaceae family. It is native to the Himalayas. It is robust and capable of withstanding harsh winters and occasional droughts, even when growing in poor stony soil. It has a prostrate, spreading, and creeping habit, supported by horizontal and trailing branches that are reddish-brown when young and greyish-brown as they age. Its growth is slow, reaching a height of about 35-40 cm (14-16in) with a spread of 80 cm (32in) at maturity with evergreen, small, thick, and leathery oval-shaped leaves, not exceeding 8 mm (0in) long. They are light green when they first emerge, darken over time, and have a hairy, greyish underside. Flowering occurs in May with tiny white, nectar-rich flowers with 5 petals followed by fleshy, round, bright red berries, 6 mm (0in) in diameter and loved by birds.

This creeping cotoneaster is ideal for covering the ground in difficult areas of the garden where it brings a neat touch. Perfect at the base of a large hedge or to border a large shrub bed, it will work well in a rockery to fill the spaces between other plants. Plant it on a steep slope, above a wall or retaining wall, at the edge of a terrace or a pathway. For example, it can be planted with creeping juniper 'Blue Star', Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety', Berberis thunb. atropurpurea 'Nana', and Forsythia intermedia Marée d'or 'Courtasol'.