prickly bush (Pyracantha)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Pyracantha
Date:	25/04/03 (4165 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: exellent for wildlife

Disadvantages: prickly

Pyracantha,
I have a large one in the back garden it is a prickly bush lots of thorns. I get scratches on my arms if I go into it bare armed. It is also called firethorn I think this is because of the red berries and the thorns it may be because they are fierce thorns and its like fire if they scratch you.
This one stands against my neighbours fence I have two in the hedge between my garden and the football pitch at the back of the house. It is a good defender hedge keep?s the ruffian?s out, the football still comes over sometimes though. I also have an orange-berried one in the front garden.

[Pyracantha is a bush with white flowers and has red, yellow or white orange berries. berries. Pyracantha has flowers in late spring and produces its berries in autumn it is an evergreen providing colour in the gloom of winter.

Pyracantha is a good plant for an informal hedge it grows to 6-10 feet 2-3 metres. Plant them about 2-foot/ 60 cm distance from each other.

Pyracantha is a good plant for a wildlife garden. Its berries attract lots of birds the blackbirds particularly love them. I love to watch the birds eating them I have a chair in my sitting room from which I can see birds noshing on the berries in the autumn/winter they are not so keen on the yellow berry one I have in my hedge the colour not so attractive to them.

The butterfly the Holly blue will also lay its eggs on pyracantha and the caterpillar eats the flowers and berries!

Bees love the flowers for nectar my pyracantha is often humming with them
If you keep the giant spiny stick insect this too will eat pyracantha

It is also a good nesting place for birds.

Pyracantha is a member of the rose family.

The best time to prune is after the flowers fade just prune lightly to keep its shape as it flowers and berries on 1-year-old wood. One of mine has few flowers this year as I gave it a radical prune as it was becoming impossible to
prune with out my arms ending up torn to ribbons.

Thrives best on a well-drained soil. In a warm sunny south facing position.
I often find little trees in the garden where the birds have not eaten the berry.

I have seen it on sale for between £2 and £5
Enjoy your gardening Thanks for reading Mary

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