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P. Hybrid cultivars. 'Fiery Cascade' Small, glossy leaves and orange red fruit. 'Golden Charmer' Vigorous, arching habit. Fine toothed leaves. Larger, yellow-orange fruits. Firethorn Care Sheet 'Golden Dome' Mounding habit. Deep yellow fruit. 'Harlequin' Variegated with pink flushed leaves and white margin. ' M o h a v e ' d e n se habit. Masses of bright orange-red fruit. 'Orange Charmer' Long lasting orangered berries. 'Orange Glow' D e n se , vi g o r o u s growth. Orange red fruits that persist into winter. 'Red Elf' or 'Monelf' Low growing mounding habit. Dense foliage. Bright red berries. 'Shawnee' dense branched, spreading at base. Yellow to light orange fruit. 'Sparkler' Variegated with mottled white leaves that turn pink tinged in autumn. More frost tender. 'Watereri' compact, vigorous growth. Bright red fruit. Brought to you by S & S Bonsai of Colorado Springs, Colorado (Most of the included information is obtained from several online sources.) “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” —Mahatma Gandhi— The Firethorn (Pyracantha sp.) General Information: A small genus of thorny evergreen shrubs (up to 20 feet tall) in the rose family native to east to southeast Asia and southeast Europe. They resemble and are related to Cotoneaster. Firethorn is favored for their year-round foliage, their abundant flowering capabilities and for their numerous fruit in autumn. The name Firethorn is derived from the fiery berry color and very sharp 1” long thorns that are carried on branches. Thorns may become future branches. Foliage: Leaves are narrowly ovate, green to dark green, some are narrow, some toothed. Flower/ fruit: Flowers are typically white and are born in corymbs in mid-summer. The spherical berries (pomes) start out green and by August/ September turn yellow, red or orange depending on the species. CARE Temperature: Zones 5-7, depending on the species. Winter protection required, especially from dry winds. Pyracantha's as a rule need winter protection. P. augustifolia varieties are regarded by some as indoor varieties during the Winter as they will not tolerate temperatures below 35 to 40°F. Inside, trees should be kept in a cool, unheated environment. P. coccinea varieties are more frost resistant and should be kept outside if possible, though protection against temperatures below around 41°F should be given. Also protect against strong freezing winds. Lighting: Full sun. Protect from hot, midday sun in summer. Watering: Firethorn tolerate slightly drier conditions, but never allow to dry out completely. Water generously during flowering and fruiting for best results. Make sure you have very good drainage. Fertilizing: From early spring to early summer feed with high nitrogen fertilizer, then switch to low nitrogen fertilizer to promote flowering and fruiting. Pruning / Training: Firethorn tolerate heavy pruning easily. Prune new growth down to two or three leaves in early summer. Flower buds occur at the tips of mature short branches, so if you want flowers and fruit (one of the main draws of a Firethorn bonsai), in late autumn shorten long new growth down to two or three nodes, to focus the energy in and keep the current shape in better check when flowering comes around. Firethorn will grow new branches from new thorns, so, though they may be a nuisance while you work, do not remove these! They will eventually flower and fruit for you! Due to the nature of formative pruning, flowers and berries will often be sacrificed in the first few years of growth in lieu of focusing on basic branching and secondary branching concerns. Wire new branches early, before they get too inflexible. Older branches are stiff and can be hard to move. Care must be taken when wiring as branches as young as 2 years old can be brittle. New shoots on Pyracantha's respond well to wiring but growth that has already hardened off can take a long time to set into a new position. As an evergreen, Pyracantha's still replace old leaves with new over the growing season. Individual old leaves will occasionally be seen to turn yellow before dropping but are soon replaced with new growth. Insects / Pests: Fireblight. Spider mites, scale, aphids, caterpillars and leaf miners. Propagation: Seeds. Remove seeds from fruit and soak overnight before sowing. Sow seed outside in Autumn. Root semi-ripe cuttings or air layering in Summer. Repotting: Every two years, in early spring. Pyracantha's resent repeated root-disturbance so try not to repot annually. Wait too long and the roots will start to coil dramatically, with no new root hairs. Drastic pruning would be needed then to retain a healthy root ball. Soil: More inorganic than organic. Very well draining medium. Design and Styling: Often seen with cascade forms, Pyracantha are also suitable for informal upright forms with single or multiple trunks and group planting. Suitable for all sizes. Pyracantha has several cultivars: P. crenulata: Nepal or Himalayan Firethorn: Vase form and strong, very sharp thorns. Leaves have notched margins, new growth rust colored, dark red berries. Zone 7. P. coccinea: Scarlet or European Firethorn: leaves are toothed, ovate to lance shaped, new growth is fine and downy, scarlet berries. Zone 5. P. angustifolia: Orange Firethorn: leaves are dark green with grey fuzz on the underside, berries are yellow to deep orange. Zone 7. P. atalantioides: Chinese Firethorn. Vase shaped habit. Broad, elliptical or oval leaves in a dark, glossy green. Crimson berries. Zone 7. P. crenatoserrata or P. fortuneana: Yunnan Firethorn. Egg shaped or lance shaped leaves with a rounded tip, shallowly toothed. Orange fruit that will occasionally ripen to red. Zone 6. P. koidzumii: Taiwan Firethorn. Many branching species. Young growth has reddish, downy covering that can turn purple with age. Leaves are dark green and glossy, paler on the underside. Loose clusters of variable colored berries, though often orange-red. Zone 7. P. rogersiana: Roger's Firethorn. Broad, rounded habit. Midgreen, glossy leaves. Mostly flowers from previous year's wood. Yellow to orange-red berries. 'Flava' cultivar with yellow berries.