Scientific Name:Cotoneaster horizontalis
Common Name:Rockspray Cotoneaster
Plant Type:Evergreen
Leaf Type:BroadleafHardiness
USDA Zone:5, 6, 7 Determine
Height:5-8 feet
Spread:5 - 10 feet
loom time:Spring
Flower color:Pink
Fruit present:Fall
Fruit color:Red
Light Exposure:Sun, Part Sun
Drainage:Well drained, Moist, Dry
Rate of Growth:Fast
Water Requirement:Medium
Maintenance Level:Low
Susceptible to insects
and diseases:Yes
Landscape Categories:Deer Resistant-Tolerant Plants
Ground covers
Plants for Autumn Color
Plants for Xeriscapes
Plants that Attract Birds
Comments: Semi-evergreen in upper part of its growing range. Used as a ground cover and in mass plantings. Has red fall color. Produce stiff, recurving branches. Excellent ground cover but not very competitive against weeds. Young plants tend to be unattractive until they become well established and begin to grow and develop the distinctive cotoneaster form.
<How to grow Cotoneaster horizontalis from seeds>
1
Rub the seed coat gently with sandpaper or gently cut it with a knife to crack it. The seed coat should be dull-looking after sanding, but not pitted or cracked enough to expose the embryo inside.
2
Place moist vermiculite or peat in a plastic bag and add the seeds. The vermiculite or peat should be just moist, not soaked, or mold may grow inside the bag. You should not be able to squeeze any water from the media.
3
Seal the bag and refrigerate the seeds for three to four months or until they start to germinate. This is called cold-stratification, which breaks the seed’s dormant period earlier so that it will be ready for planting and more ready to germinate.
4
Fill 5-inch pots with loam soil and plant two seeds per pot. Place the pots in a bright location where temperatures are between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Light is not required for germination of most seeds, but it produces strong, stocky seedlings. Low-light conditions typically result in a weaker, spindly seedling.
5
Water your seeds regularly to keep the soil consistently moist until germination. After germination, cut back watering to only when the soil surface begins to dry.
6
Wait for the seedlings to grow to about 1 inch tall, and then remove the weakest seedling. Germination should take about 25 days; sometimes only one seed germinates.
7
Move the pot outside to a location where it has exposure to direct sunlight for about an hour, and then bring it back inside.
8
Continue to gradually acclimate the seedling to the outdoors by increasing the time it stays outside by an hour each day. By the end of one week, your seedling should be able to withstand five hours of sunlight without wilting or drying.
9
Transplant your seedlings into a sunny location, spacing each plant 10 feet apart.
