Quick Guide: summer, hardy, sun/semi-shade, height: 3m/10ft, width: 3m/10ft

Firethorns are evergreen shrubs chiefly grown for their bright berries which stay from early autumn, after the flowers have faded, right through the winter. They look splendid against a wall, but as clipped hedges the berries will be relatively few.

GROWING Plant container-grown plants between autumn and spring in am fertile, well-drained soil. Wall-grown plants need trelliswork or a system of horizontal wires for support. During the summer tie in strong growths and trim the plant lightly. Plants for hedging should be set about 45cm/18in apart. Pinch out the growing points of young shoots when they are 20cm/8in long. Established hedges should be cut to shape in summer. Plants grown as bushes need no pruning.

PROPAGATION Take l0cm/4in cuttings of young shoots in summer and place in a peat/sand mixture in a propagator at 16°C/61 °F. When rooted, Pot up individually and transfer to a cold frame over winter. Pot on in the spring and set the pots outdoors in a bed of soil or peat. Plant out in the autumn.

VARIETIES ' Pyracantha atalantioides `Aurea' (aboz,e), fastgrowing, deep green leaves of variable shape, white flowers precede bright yellow berries; P. crenulnta `Rogersiana', abundant white flowers, orange-red berries; P. x Watereri is a compact hybrid between these two producing masses of scarlet berries.

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS Woolly aphids; fireblight