Pyracantha coccinea Seeds | Scarlet Firethorn
LATIN NAME: Pyracantha coccinea
COMMON NAME: Scarlet Firethorn
Plant Profile
Scarlet Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) is an evergreen shrub in the rose family. It likes sun, and well-drained soil. Plants that offer this much while asking this little are rare enough to treasure.
Science & Biotechnology
Like other members of the rose family, Pyracantha coccinea draws steady attention from botanists and plant breeders, who value the genus both as a subject of research and as a source of garden-worthy material. Winter berry display of scarlet firethorn gives it a recognised place in research on evergreen hedging shrubs of rose family, and coccinea species appears in studies of berry pigments and bird-feeding garden plants. The practical point for growers is that this plant has been observed in gardens for so long that its behaviour holds few surprises.
Uses & Benefits
Beyond its ornamental appeal, Scarlet Firethorn has the practical versatility that makes a plant worth growing from seed year after year. Berries feed birds through cold months, dense, spiny growth makes fine, impenetrable hedge, and white flowers open for the bees. It grows well in well-drained, sunny ground. Sow small, brown seeds into pots of gritty soil in autumn, then leave pots out in cold through winter, and keep gritty mix damp. A plant that has settled in will get along with only routine care.
Firethorn is a berry-laden security hedge feeding winter birds; the berries are bird food, not people food.
Growing from Seed
Scarlet Firethorn is one of those generous plants that come along well from seed. Broadcast the seed thinly over a fine, free-draining compost, sieve a little more compost on top, and water with a fine rose. Prick the seedlings out once they are large enough to handle, grow them on in bright light, and plant out when conditions allow.
Our Take
Scarlet Firethorn repays a little patience at sowing time with plenty of garden presence later.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Scarlet Firethorn often pair it with these related subjects: