Article by David Marks
Pyracantha originate from Southern Europe (Mediterranean areas in particular) spreading eastwards into Asia. They are equally at home in high daytime temperatures and low night time ones. Their flowers and berries make them stand out as exceptional ornamental plants in small and large gardens. Their dense growth, combined with vicious thorns also make them ideal hedging plants. Even the most determined intruder would not wish to cross a fully grown Pyracantha!

This article should answer all your questions about choosing and caring for pyracantha. Occasionally however our readers have very specific questions about this shrub. So if up can't find the answer to your question on this page then check out our "question and answer" page dedicated to pyracantha. It can be found here.

They have been popular plants in gardens for centuries and remain so for very good reasons.

Three year old pyracantha in May

Use the checklist below to decide if a Pyracantha is suited to your preferences and garden conditions:

• An evergreen shrub which, if not pruned, reaches a height of 4m / 13ft with a similar spread. They respond exceptionally well to pruning and can easily be kept to a height and spread of 1m / 3ft.
   
• It is fully hardy in almost all areas of the UK withstanding temperatures down to -18°C. In a protected position, it is hardy to a few degrees lower.
   
• Main interest is from the masses of white flowers in May / June followed by red, orange or yellow berries in September to February.
   
  
• All soils except waterlogged conditions are suitable. It does best in a deep loam type soil although this is not essential.
   
• It prefers full sun although also does well in partial shade. Avoid full shade positions.
   
• Once established, it rarely requires watering and will tolerate drought. If grown against a wall, watering will be required during extended drought periods.
   
• A very versatile shrub, it can be grown as a specimen plant, singly in containers, as a hedge or against a wall / fence. It is very suitable as a barrier hedge because it has lots of very sharp thorns and cannot easily be parted.
   
• Disease resistance is good with the exception of scab and fireblight. See our section below on pests and diseases of this shrub for top tips about avoiding this problem. The more recent 'Saphyr' series of Pyracantha show significant resistance to both these diseases.
   
• These are very low maintenance shrubs. When established their only care need is pruning to keep them to size and shape you require.
   
  
• Birds love to nest in pyracantha because not only are they protected from predators by the thorns but they also feed on the berries. The flowers are also attractive to bees.

HOW TO PLANT A NEW PYRACANTHA

Follow the steps below to ensure your Pyracantha is planted correctly and in the best position:

• Choose a full sun to partial shade position. The plant needs some air circulation so although it will thrive against a wall or fence, avoid planting it in the corner of two walls fences.
   
• If the soil is heavy or is not free draining add lots of well rotted compost to the area and dig it in well.
   
• It can be planted all year long if the soil is not frozen and you can water well when conditions are dry. Mid March to April and mid September to October are the best times to plant this shrub.
   
• Dig a hole twice the width of the rootball. Sprinkle in a handful of blood, fish and bone and work into the ground.
   
  
• Place the plant into the hole, filling in with soil so that it is at the same depth as was in the pot. Fill around the rootball and firm the soil down gently but firmly. Water well to settle the surrounding ground around the rootball.

If you want to grow Pyracantha as a dense hedge, individual plants should be about 60cm / 2ft apart.

CARE OF PYRACANTHA

Pyracantha are long-lived shrubs and the only care required after they are established is to prune them (see section below). They are naturally deep rooted an will search out moisture well below the soil surface. On poor soils a couple of handfuls of blood, fish and bone per plant in April time will help feed the finer roots near the soil surface.

For younger plants up to two years old, water if conditions become dry. A twice yearly feed with blood, fish and bone in spring and autumn will help it to establish a good root system. Keep the area around the base of the plant free from weeds and grass.

HOW AND WHEN TO PRUNE PYRACANTHA

The frequency of pruning depends on the shape and size you want the plant to grow to. Without pruning, Pyracantha will grow quite happily and form a bush sized about 4m / 13ft. 

For those of you who prefer a smaller shrub then pruning is more a matter of when to prune rather than how. If pyracantha are pruned at the wrong time of year they will fail to flower and will not produce many berries the next year.

Pyracantha produce most of their new stems in spring but these will not flower or produce berries in that first year, they flower and produce berries in the next year. Combine that piece of information with the fact that a stem will produce flowers and berries along almost its entire length and you are in possession of the key facts behind pruning a pyracantha.

Pyracantha pruned as a column

For the first two to three years after planting a new pyracantha, let it fill out and don't prune it. This will help it establish a good root system.

In the third or fourth year start pruning it as follows:

• The best time to prune a pyracantha is when it is in full flower, normally around mid to end of May in most parts of the UK. The reason for this is that the stems with flowers on will produce berries later in the year. At flowering time you can easily identify them and avoid heavy pruning of those stems.
   
• The first step it to prune out some of the older stems which are not producing flowers any more and therefore will not produce any berries. You don't want to prune out these stems completely because they will still produce leaves and contribute to the evergreen appearance. Prune away a third to one half of the length of non-flowering stems.
   
• The second step is aimed at opening up the centre of the shrub to allow air circulation. Some varieties of pyracantha are prone scab, fireblight and fungal diseases. Maintaining good air circulation in the centre of the shrub will contribute greatly to preventing these problems. Look for the oldest stems coming from the centre stems of the shrub and prune away completely about one of five of these.
   
• The final step is to 'shape up' the shrub. If your pyracantha has been pruned correctly in previous years, one or two year old stems will be the ones which are growing out further than others. Trim some of these back to maintain the shape and encourage new stems to form during the next year. Don't hard prune these, just cut them back to shape.
   
• When pruning pyracantha remember to use thick gardening gloves to avoid damage from the thorns. Cut the stems to a downward angle to allow water to drain off the top of the cut. Use sharp secateurs to avoid crushing the top of the pruned stems.

Remember the basic pruning principles identified at the beginning of this section and then combine them with the steps explained above. Refine the pruning process to suit the growing conditions of your particular pyracantha.

If you have an overgrown, wild or out of control Pyracantha, remember they are tough shrubs and will survive hard pruning at most times of the year. Cutting the plant down by a half is fine. March to October is as good a time as any.

The flowers and berries will no doubt not be as good in the year of pruning but will improve by the next year. Be careful when you prune it, falling stems can damage you with their vicious thorns.

GROWING PYRACANTHA IN CONTAINERS

A single Pyracantha will grow very happily in a large container. A diameter of 45cm or more is about right. Fill with either standard multi-purpose compost or a John Innes type loam. 

A container grown pyracantha should be fed monthly between mid March to mid August with a handful of blood, fish and bone. It will of course require regular watering. Wait each time until the top 3cm of the compost is dry and then water well.

Pruning is as described above although you may to prune more frequently to keep the plant to shape and an appropriate size for the container. It does help if the shrub is in a heavy container to avoid it easily being blown over.

PESTS AND DISEASES OF PYRACANTHA

Pyracantha can suffer from two main diseases, scab and fireblight, both are described below. If you are choosing a new pyracantha our strong advice would be to select one from the 'Saphyr' series which show significant resistance to both diseases.

SCAB

Scab is a fungal disease which causes black marks on the leaves and berries of pyracantha. It also damages the flowers although this is often not so visible. The life cycle of Pyracantha Scab is described below.

SUMMER
The initial infection normally occurs in summer but the effects are not particularly noticeable in the first year.

AUTUMN / WINTER
In first autumn and winter the infected leaves fall to the ground and the fungus overwinters overwinter.

SPRING
In Spring spores are released from the fallen leaves and they spread to new leaves both on the wind and via water splashing. Secondary spores are release in late spring which causes further infection. The higher the humidity and temperature the quicker the spores are released and the more damage they can cause.

AUTUMN / WINTER
The damage becomes apparent in mid summer to winter on leaves and berries. The cycle repeats itself with more vigour if not treated.

The first preventative measure is to plant scab resistant varieties such as the 'Saphyr' series to prevent the problem occurring in the first place. The next preventative measure is to clear up and burn fallen leaves during the year, especially in autumn.

Several fungicide sprays were available in the UK prior to 2016 but these are no longer considered safe and should have been withdrawn from sale in November 2015.

FIREBLIGHT

Fireblight is a bacterial infection which causes the same symptoms as described above for scab. The key noticeable difference is that fireblight of pyracantha appears far quicker than the symptoms of scab and they are worse in severity.

See our page dedicated to identifying and treating fireblight here. It's also important to understand that infections of fireblight can be transferred to pyracantha from and to many other common plants such as apples, pears and hawthorn.

BEST VARIETIES OF PYRACANTHA

Because of the difficulty in treating scab and fireblight we strongly recommend the 'Saphyr' series of pyracantha. They offer the same qualities as regular varieties but were bred in France to offer good resistance to both diseases.

Three varieties are commonly sold, those with red, orange or yellow berries. When young it is very difficult to distinguish between regular varieties and the resistant varieties. We suggest therefore you buy from a reputable supplier in order to avoid disappointment in later years. The resistant varieties cost a couple of pounds more to buy but they are well worth it in the long term.

We recommend Crocus online plants nursery, click on the link below to see their selection of disease resistant Pyracanthas.

PYRACANTHA SUMMARY

Below we list the key strengths and weaknesses of Pyracantha.
 

HARDY	(to -18°C)
CLAY SOIL	Yes
SANDY SOIL	Yes
DRY SOIL	Yes
SHADE	Yes, partial, full sun
EVERGREEN	Yes
EASY CARE
SMALL GARDENS	Yes
POT / CONTAINER	Yes
FLOWERING
FLOWER TIME	May to June