Over the last 65 years, the number of cotoneasters available to West Coast gardeners has more than doubled.
For many introductions, we must thank the late W. B. Clarke.
Graceful Sprays of Cotoneaster
Fall after fall, he would bring long graceful sprays of cotoneaster, berried to the hilt, and show them at the monthly meetings of the California Horticultural Society.
Cotoneaster Conspicua
Among his most exciting presentations was Cotoneaster conspicua decors, the necklace cotoneaster, a choice creeper that should be better known, for it is superior to many cotoneasters that are popular in our gardens.
The flat, wandering sprays of the necklace cotoneaster are shaped like fans, the leaves are tiny and green, and the white spring flowers resemble small single roses.
The berries are unusually large and luminous crimson.
The Ground-Clinging Plant
At this time of year, my ground-clinging plant, now 14 years old and 8’ feet across, reminds me of the wintergreen plants that blanket bare Virginia hilltops and glistening Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) rugs on the bluffs of Cape Cod.
The berries hang on into spring.
The true necklace cotoneaster clings to contours of earth or rock, while the arching branches of the species reach 4’ feet in height.
The species which makes a good hedge or foundation plant is sometimes sold for the prostrate variety, which is suitable for large rock gardens and banks and for covering uneven ground.
Both are evergreen and come from Tibet.
Good Drainage for Necklace Cotoneaster
Necklace cotoneaster is not particular about soil but should have good drainage and sun.
It will endure temperatures as low as 10° degrees Fahrenheit and is not subject to disease.
Like most of the evergreen cotoneasters, it can be grown in the more western parts of the Northwest and is not as hardy as the deciduous cotoneasters that are more suitable for eastern sections of the Northwest.
44659 by Lester Rowntree