Cotoneaster dammeri

Cotoneaster dammeri grows well here in the UK, thriving in full sun or light shade, on pretty much any well drained soil, both in sheltered or exposed positions. The top of the leaves are dark glossy green, and the undersides are a muted silvery colour. The five petalled flowers are fragrant and the red berries long-lasting. The root system is dense and shallow, rooting out frequently as it spreads. Each plant may cover a couple of metres but be no more than 20cm to 50cm in height. 

World travel is certainly more convenient now than it was for Victorian plant hunters. We forget the sheer grit, endurance and determination required to seek out exciting new plants to feed early Victorian garden trends. Imagine Ernest Wilson’s joy as he reached the summit of a ridge, and looked down and saw a shrub with a low spreading habit sprawling across open forest glades and festooning great limestone cliffs. The shrub would have carried dark green foliage and masses of small white scented blooms or be smothered in red berries. And so, in 1900, Wilson triumphantly returned to Britain with the impressive Cotoneaster dammeri under his arm.