Cotoneaster franchetii Hedging Plants

Cotoneaster franchetii: Bareroot Hedging

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Cotoneaster franchetii is a medium sized, bushy shrub that makes a dense, attractive hedging plant. It is almost evergreen in the UK; it keeps its leaves in a mild winter and loses them, usually in late winter, if the weather is harsh. This is normal and doesn't hurt the plants. It has pale pink flowers in the spring, followed by masses of decorative orange berries in autumn. Its neat green foliage clips beautifully, so you can keep it looking very tidy. 
According to a study by the RHS, it is by far the most effective hedge plant for absorbing air pollution. 
It is good for hedges up to about 2-3 metres high.
Browse all of our other varieties of Cotoneaster shrubs & trees, our selection of coastal hedging or our range of hedging plants.

Delivery season: Bareroot plants are delivered during late autumn and winter, approximately November-March inclusive.

Features

• Most effective plant for absorbing air pollution.
• Hedge Height: To 2-3m
• Soil: all soils apart from waterlogged, shade & urban pollution tolerant.
• Grows on the coast.
• Use: Formal Hedging
• Single Row: 3/m
• Evergreen in mild winters.
• Ornamental orange berries.

Growing Cotoneaster franchetii

It is not fussy about soil as long as it isn't waterlogged, and it doesn't mind a bit of shade either. It likes heavy clay, and is widely planted in polluted inner city areas.

It is a well-behaved shrub for the back of a border, easy to keep looking tidy.

As hedging, it is often mixed with the Red Berried Cotoneaster Simonsii for a bit more colour.

Spacing a Cotoneaster franchetii hedge: Like most formal hedging, plant at 3 per metre, 33cm apart in a single row.

Growing Cotoneaster franchetii plants:
Cotoneaster is happy in most soils, including chalk, and it doesn't mind a bit of shade. It likes a heavy clay soil, as long as it is not prone to waterlogging in winter. Trim your plants in winter, after the berries have fallen.

Prepare your site before planting:
It is good to dig over the area where you plant a hedge several months in advance, especially if the soil is poor. Destroy the weeds first: nettles, brambles and ground elder are tough. Then dig the soil over; remove rocks, roots and other rubbish. Mix in well rotted compost or manure down to the depth of about 2 spades. If your soil is rich, you don't have to dig it over, but killing all the weeds is still necessary.

Watch our video on how to plant a garden hedge for full details. The plants in this video are delivered pot-grown, but planting out bareroot stock is essentially the same.

Hedge Planting Accessories:
Prepare your site for planting by killing the weeds and grass.
You can buy a hedge planting pack with sheets of mulch fabric and pegs to hold it down.
If you are planting in an area with rabbit and/or deer, you will need to use a plastic spiral guard for each plant, supported by a bamboo cane.
If your soil quality is poor, we recommend using mycorrhizal "friendly fungi" on the roots of new trees and shrubs.
You can also improve your soil with bonemeal organic fertiliser.

After planting, the most important thing to do is water it in dry weather. You will also need to weed around the plants. Watering should be thorough, so the ground is soaked. Let the soil almost dry out before watering again. Watering & weeding will be necessary for at least a year after planting.

Trimming Formal hedge plants:
Cotoneaster franchetii is naturally bushy, so it doesn't need any clipping at all in its first year. In the winter of the year after planting, your young hedge should be trimmed once, lightly, and then every winter after that until it is mature.
When it is fully grown, you can clip it at anytime. A good time to trim your hedge is after the berries fall or lose their appeal in winter.

Special notes on caring for Cotoneaster franchetii hedges:
It is a tough plant that shouldn't need special attention once it has established. If you didn't use a mulch fabric, it is beneficial to mulch around the base of the hedge each year.

Hygiene & Diseases:
Dead, damaged or diseased wood can be pruned off as soon as it appears.
Disinfect your pruning tools between every cut if there is any sign of disease.
Burn or dispose of any diseased material, do not compost it.

Did You Know?

This is a Chinese plant that was brought to Europe in 1895 by the French Abbot Soulie.

According to a 2020 RHS study, it is the best hedge plant for absorbing urban air pollution by a long chalk.