Christmas Miracle?

I had to smile when I downloaded the pictures from my Christmas day hike in the nearby South Mountain Reservation.  A red and green sun flare?  Really?  How funny.

I Know How You Feel, Big Fella

Count my rings after you cut.  There are nearly 17.

Franchet Cotoneaster

cotoneaster franchetti

I first saw this shrub about a decade ago at the Planting Fields out on Long Island.  I put it on my wish list even though we lived in an apartment in Brooklyn with no garden.  Fast forward about 6 years and one house purchase later and I came across it for sale at a northern NJ nursery.  I'm thankful that I bought one as I've never seen it for sale again.

Like most cotoneasters, this shrub is vigorous and multi-stemmed.  Its spring flowering is mostly overlooked due to its placement at the back of the bed, but it really shines in the fall, when the competition around it dies back.  The leaves are mostly evergreen and but some turn a bright red in autumn.  The red berries are gorgeous.  Even the whitish undersides of the leaves are cool.

                                    

The shape of the 6' shrub is a bit unruly, as you can see, but I'll take what I can get this time of year.

Two complaints:  the heavy snow in winter breaks the older, more rigid stems, and this cotoneaster seems to be invasive on the West Coast.  I've never cleaned up the berries and have yet to see a seedling around it, but who knows?