Pyracantha 'Golden Charmer'

About this cultivar:

Pyracantha 'Golden Charmer' is a vigorous, disease resistant, dense evergreen shrub with glossy foliage and sprays of white flowers in early summer, followed by bright orange berries.

• Position: Full sun, partial shade
• Soil: Almost any soil, grows well in Ballyrobert
• Flowers: June, July, August
• Other features: Grows well in Ballyrobert, Bees and Butterflies
• Hardiness: H6 - Hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15°C), Fully hardy - grows well in Ballyrobert!
• Habit: Bushy
• Foliage: Evergreen
• Height: 120 - 720 cm (4 - 24 ft) (4 - 6 ft if pruned)
• Spread: 120 - 480 cm (4 - 16 ft) (4 - 6ft if pruned)
• Time to full growth: 10 to 20 years
• Plant type: Tree, shrub
• Colour: Green, orange
• Goes well with: Walls!

About this genus:

Pyracantha is a genus of large, thorny evergreen shrubs in the Rose family (Rosaceae) native to an area extending from Southwest Europe east to Southeast Asia. A large number of fossil fruits of Pyracantha acuticarpa have been found Denmark. So it has been around long enough to be a fossil!

They resemble and are related to Cotoneaster, but have serrated leaf margins and numerous thorns (Cotoneaster is thornless). The name comes from the from Greek ‘pyr’ for fire and ‘akanthus’ for thorn which is in turn from the common name of Firethorn.

Some plants can reach up to 6 m (20 ft) tall. The seven species have white flowers and either red, orange, or yellow berries (technically pomes). The flowers are produced during late spring and early summer and buzz with pollinators; the berries develop from late summer, and mature in late autumn. Pyracantha berries and can cause mild gastro-intestinal problems when eaten raw in large quantities- so look, don’t munch! The flowers are valuable sources of nectar when often the bees have little other forage during the June Gap.

Keep in mind the extremely difficult and painful process to prune and maintain the shrubs! The thorns are easily able to puncture human skin, and when successful, the piercing causes a slight inflammation and severe pain. Their dense thorny structure makes them particularly valued in situations where an impenetrable barrier is required. Don’t tell any teenagers or bedroom doors will change forever…..

Mainly Pyracanthas are valuable ornamental plants, grown in gardens for their decorative flowers and fruit, often very densely borne. Tough and hardy they will grow almost anywhere. The aesthetic characteristics of Pyracanthas, in conjunction with their home security qualities, makes them an alternative to artificial fences and walls. BUT we grow some of ours beside walls....train it, up, down, espalier, clip it, leave it alone, whatever....it will be great!

They are also good shrubs for a wildlife garden, providing dense cover for roosting and nesting birds, summer flowers for bees and an abundance of berries as a food sources.

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We only sell this genus (Pyrancantha) exclusively to the UK!