Cotoneaster Comprehensive Guide to Shrubs

Description

The genus Cotoneaster includes some of the world's most useful and beautiful hardy shrubs. They vary in size from compact ground covers 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.

Jeanette Fryer is a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London and holder of the NCCPG (National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens) Scientific Collection of Cotoneaster. She grows around 350 species plus 45 cultivars in two separate identical collections in Hampshire, England - one at the family nursery, Rumsey Gardens, the other at her home in Froxfield. Jeanette was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Lindley Medal for her scientific work on the genus Cotoneaster. Bertil Hylmo (1915-2001) earned a doctorate in botany, genetics, and microbiology at the University of Lund, Sweden, and over 40 years developed an exceptional living and herbarium collection of Cotoneaster at his home in Bjuv, Sweden. He created a classification system for the genus and, with Karl Evert Flinck, established a project for DNA research into the more difficult species. In 2003, the University of Alnarp in Sweden dedicated a Cotoneaster arboretum to Hylmo's memory and to continue his work with this genus.

The masterwork on the family, backed by 50 years of careful study. ... It is worth the effort ... a goldmine at a modest price that ought to widen gardeners' practice. -- Robin Lane Fox Financial Times 20091204