Download Firethorn Care Sheet

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.