Cotoneaster horizontalis

Eventually reaching 3 feet high and spreading 5 to 8 feet wide, this small-leaved shrub grows in a herringbone-like pattern, stiffy branched and erect. Its texture looks forbidding, discouraging foot traffic and offering a bit of architecture for the site rather than simply lying flat against the ground.

The leaves are very small and rounded, medium to dark green in spring and summer, turning brilliant hues in fall. The light pink blooms, arising in late spring, are not particularly showy or long-lasting; it is the berries that follow which are so ornamental!

Rockspray Cotoneaster literally covers itself in round, glossy, eye-catching bright red berries, beloved of birds but also useful for indoor arrangements. (The weeping form of Cotoneaster is a flower-arranger's dream, with long sprays of brilliant berries.) Deer and other grazing marauders leave this plant alone, but birds come to feast month after month, a delight for any amateur ornithologists at home.

Native to China, this Cotoneaster is quite drought-tolerant once mature, and is generally left alone by pests. Bees and butterflies visit during its season of bloom, and it tolerates a bit of shade, but prefers direct sun and plenty of it. Try espaliering it against a wall to create a lovely and long-lasting effect. Unusual and very ornamental! Zones 5-8.