The Secret to a Healthy Cotoneaster With Stunning Berries Is Proper Pruning – Here’s How the Experts Do It
We reveal all you need to know to prune cotoneaster properly
Cotoneaster is a wide-ranging genus of both deciduous and evergreen shrubs and small trees. They are versatile plants, suitable as great specimen shrubs, ground cover plants, or hedges. Unsurprisingly, how you prune cotoneaster varies depending on the type and how they feature in your garden.
Many homeowners grow cotoneaster for the shrub’s year-round interest, with spring flowers, bright fall color (for deciduous varieties), and the dazzling berries come fall. To appreciate all the beauty of a cotoneaster, proper pruning is vital. Pruning at the wrong time, or being too heavy-handed, will affect the display of blooms and berries.
Cotoneaster Pruning – Why, Where, and How
One of the main attractions of cotoneaster is that it is one of the best shrubs for fall berries, and pruning helps guarantee this spectacular seasonal show.
Regular trimming also maintains the form and prevents a cotoneaster, which can reach 15 feet depending on the variety, from dominating a space.
The exact level of trimming will depend on the type, but even low-maintenance shrubs or small trees can remain healthy by removing deadwood and increasing air circulation. A sharp pair of pruning shears, such as these professional Felco F2 pruners at Amazon, makes a perfect tool for the job.
If you are after a cotoneaster to dazzle in fall, you can’t go wrong with an Autumn Inferno Cotoneaster, available from Nature Hills. With orange-red fall foliage and bright red fruit, it can make a real statement as a standalone shrub or an attractive hedging plant.
The Best Time to Prune Cotoneaster
There are deciduous and evergreen types, but for both, early spring is the ideal window to prune cotoneaster. This is especially true if you aim to reshape or rejuvenate older, or larger, shrubs, but heavy pruning in spring will affect that year’s display.
‘For optimal health of cotoneaster, the best time to prune is before bud swell, or before active growth,’ claims James Barden, an experienced landscaper and founder of Green Leaf Landscaping in Central New York.
‘It can also be done after flowering, but this will reduce the number of berries that season,’ he adds, though trimming at this time is only suitable for lightly shaping the shrub, rather than any major pruning.
Getting the timing right is pivotal. Trimming cotoneaster at the wrong time is a shrub pruning mistake that can affect the number of flowers or fruit you’ll get each year.
Cotoneasters bloom profusely in late spring or early summer, and the flowers attract bees and other pollinators, so you don’t want to risk ruining the appearance of these white or pink flowers.
Pruning too late into spring is one sure-fire way to badly affect the flowering, as you’ll be cutting off buds to carry that year’s display. Getting carried away with post-blooming pruning is also not advisable, as you sacrifice berries that can be vital food for birds in winter.
Another important error to avoid is pruning cotoneaster in the fall. The trimming will encourage lots of lush, new growth that will be damaged by frosts in colder climates, leaving the shrub stressed and more vulnerable to pests and diseases.
James Barden is the owner of Green Leaf Landscaping, who focuses on hardscapes, plantings, pruning, and landscape design. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Horticulture and Forestry from Syracuse University, worked as an arborist at Cornell University for over a decade, and has been the owner of a successful landscaping business for 20 years.
How to Prune Cotoneaster
The approach you take to prune cotoneaster will depend on how it is growing, as there are different varieties with either upright or spreading growth habits. It will also differ on whether they are being utilized as shrubs, small trees, or hedges in your backyard ideas.
Let’s start with cotoneasters being grown as ground cover plants, those with prostrate branches that spread widely to cover the soil and smother weeds. For this, you want a light touch to remove dead or diseased branches. A few cuts can be done to remove old stems, thin congested areas, and maintain a natural form, but otherwise, less is more for these cotoneasters.
Upright cotoneasters, such as specimen shrubs growing in flower beds or borders, may require a little more attention. The aim is a healthy, productive shrub that looks natural and informal, rather than artificially over-manicured.
Focus primarily on removing dead, dying, diseased, or broken branches, and then trim back any crossing or rubbing ones to open up the center of the shrub. Longer, straggly branches can be cut back to a leaf node or side branch to shape the shrub, and up to a third of the oldest branches can be completely removed if the center is too dense.
As for cotoneasters being grown as a hedge, the priority here is shaping, but that is not all that is involved. ‘Hedge shears or motorized hedge trimmers can be used to shape,’ advises Jim Barden. ‘In addition, some interior pruning should be done in conjunction to stimulate interior growth. Stimulating interior growth will help to maintain hedge size over time.’
While the pruning approach differs depending on type, what never changes is the importance of clean and sharp pruning tools. Sharp tools make clean cuts that the shrub finds easier to heal, and sanitized tools reduce the chances of infection.
Depending on the size of the cotoneaster, you may need pruning shears and loppers to complete the task. A pocket-sized garden tool sharpener from Amazon can be used to quickly sharpen pruning shears, hedge shears, or loppers ahead of doing any trimming.
FAQs
Can You Hard Prune Cotoneaster?
Cotoneaster are tough landscaping shrubs that can recover from hard pruning. While Matthew Wilson, professional gardener and CEO of Handy Gardeners, admits that ‘severe’ pruning can revive old, overgrown cotoneaster, he adds: ‘I would be inclined to do a staggered cut across two seasons to avoid shock’.
The best way to renovate an overgrown cotoneaster is to remove up to half the stems one year, allow it to respond, and then do the other half the following year. While cotoneaster can tolerate hard pruning, even coming back from being cut to ground level, you will sacrifice lots of flowers and berries for a few years. Spreading the pruning over two seasons is kinder on the shrub and also means you still get a nice display.
Matthew Wilson, CEO of Handy Gardeners, leads the company with a passion for landscaping and environmental sustainability. Under his guidance, Handy Gardeners has become a trusted name in the industry, providing top-notch gardening and landscaping services.
Cotoneaster blooms in late spring and early summer. If you do plan any post-blooming trimming, or just want to expand your collection of shrubs, you can take plant cuttings in midsummer, as evergreen varieties of cotoneaster can be propagated by semi-ripe cuttings.
For this, you use the current season’s growth that is soft at the tip, but firmer at the base. It needs trimming to 4-6 inches, cutting below a leaf node, and taking off the tips of the stem with a sharp knife. Dip the cutting in rooting hormone (such as this rooting powder at Garden Goods Direct) before putting it into a pot filled with compost suitable for cuttings.
If you have a deciduous variety of cotoneaster, the recommended route is to propagate these using softwood cuttings in late spring or early summer.
Tools for Pruning Cotoneaster
These lightweight hedging shears have ergonomically shaped grips and shock-guard bumpers to reduce strain and fatigue when trimming shrubs or hedges.
This cordless hedge trimmer has a 22-inch blade with a dual-action cutting motion. It comes with a battery and charger included.
These Fiskars pruning shears have a steel blade with a non-stick coating. They can cut stems and small branches up to 5/8 inch thick.
