Cotoneasters

Book excerpt: The genus Cotoneaster includes some of the world's most useful and beautiful hardy shrubs. They vary in size from compact groundcovers to large specimens; their foliage may be evergreen or deciduous, sometimes displaying outstanding fall color; and they frequently bear large crops of eye-catching fruits, which may be red, orange, yellow, pink, purple, or black. Often thought of as the workhorses of the garden, they possess many ornamental traits and are easy to cultivate, putting them on a par with garden aristocrats like viburnums and daphnes. Although the number of species and selections in cultivation is relatively small, that is bound to change as gardeners and nursery owners become better acquainted with the merits of these worthy plants. Cotoneasters is the definitive treatment on the genus and the culmination of 50 years of combined prodigious research. It is a monumental and comprehensive source of information on the classification, identification, cultivation, and nomenclature of nearly all the known species and cultivars.