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Cotoneaster Dummer will decorate any yard. This plant is used in landscape design and is increasingly found in gardens and suburban areas. This is not grass, but a special shrub that will decorate not only a flat lawn, but also various design objects.
Description of Cotoneaster Dummer
Cotoneaster Dummer is a type of cotoneaster. Belongs to the Rose family and is an evergreen plant. The wild variety is found in China. It looks like a horizontal variety of cotoneaster. The shoots spread along the ground, which allows, with proper pruning, to create a beautiful field or pattern on the site. The width of growth of one shrub is up to 1,5 meters. Branches do not rise more than 30 cm above the ground. As a result, Dummer’s cotoneaster is not very tall, and therefore it is great for decorating and covering the soil.
The leaves of the shrub are leathery and elliptical in shape. The flowers are red in color, and the ripening of fruits (which are unsuitable for food) occurs by September. The average size of a cotoneaster leaf is 1,5–2 cm. The color of the leaf is green above, and below it has a grayish tint.
The peduncle has 2-3 buds. The result is several white flowers with five petals. Bees are happy to pollinate the flowers of Dummer’s cotoneaster major and other varieties. This is an excellent honey plant that attracts insects from great distances.
The cultivated plant has been bred for a little over 100 years, so the culture is not yet as popular as many other varieties. But in Our Country, the cotoneaster Dammer eichholz has been grown for about 50 years, since it is inferior in popularity to the cotoneaster horizontal and brilliant.
The plant perfectly tolerates adverse climatic conditions, therefore it is successfully grown in northern latitudes. Feels uncomfortable in areas with a lot of moisture and high soil moisture.
There are several popular varieties of Dummer’s cotoneaster, description and photo, which are most common:
- Cotoneaster Major;
- Eicholtz;
- Cotoneaster Dummer Straybes Finding.
In addition, Dummer’s Cotoneaster Mix is often used, as it is excellent for decorating rocky surfaces and unsightly areas.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
This shrub has a high drought tolerance. The plant is able to do without watering for a long time and does not require regular rains. Therefore, it is successfully used in various climatic conditions and feels comfortable in Central Our Country.
Another plus for the climate is that cotoneaster tolerates frost very well. So there is no need to cover it. An evergreen plant can please the eye all year round. But it is important to understand that for the Far East and Siberia, the frost resistance of Dammer’s cotoneaster is not enough, so another plant will have to be used for landscape design.
Disease and pest resistance
As for diseases, they rarely affect shrubs such as Dammer’s cotoneaster. If the soil is too wet under the plant, then there is a possibility of infection with a fungal pathology such as fusarium. The disease most often affects the roots and lower part of the stem. It is not difficult to fight such a disease – it is enough to remove all infected tissues on which there are obvious traces of fungal infection. After that, it is imperative to carry out the treatment with a fungicide.
There are also preventive measures that help not to catch this fungus. First of all, you need to monitor the soil moisture, not get carried away with watering and ensure normal drainage. And also prevention will be regular loosening of the soil. So the roots of the cotoneaster will be able to get air better, and the soil will not retain moisture so much.
But pests are very fond of Dummer horizontal cotoneaster. This plant can infect: spider mites and other varieties of mites, scale insects, as well as apple aphids. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully monitor the first symptoms of the appearance of pests on the plant. It is mandatory to treat the cotoneaster several times a year with special means against pests.
To get rid of pests in the early stages of pest detection, it is enough to apply natural solutions, such as:
- decoction of yarrow;
- decoction of tobacco;
- soap-ash solution;
- decoction of marigolds.
But in any case, a single treatment will not do. The owner will need a course, which consists of 3-4 treatments carried out at intervals of 6-7 days. Then you need to monitor the plant to see if the pests have died. If such methods do not help or the stage of damage is strong, then you will need strong chemicals that are sold in specialized stores. In this case, the processing must be carried out according to the instructions.
Cotoneaster Dummer in landscape design
In landscape design, the cotoneaster of Dammer Stockholm is used in a very diverse way, since it all depends on the variety and variety. For example, the dwarf cotoneaster Dummer Mayor spreads low, which allows it to be an excellent soil cover. With the help of such a coating, it gets to hide from prying eyes all sorts of open glades, ugly areas, as well as compost pits, areas with garbage and those parts that cannot be planted.
Cotoneaster Eicholtz is suitable for hedges and fences, as well as for creating beautiful borders. Such a plant will be able to decorate both garden plots and paths on the territory.
If cut correctly, a shrub can often and successfully be used to create hedges and evergreen sculptures.
And also the shrub looks great if you create a bright green spot from it that will attract the attention of visitors. Since the shrub feels great on loose soils and has a powerful root system, it is justifiably used to decorate slopes and hills. Those who have seen Dummer’s cotoneaster at least once in the photo will definitely want to decorate their site with this plant.
Shrubs are often planted in rock gardens, and on the lower and middle tiers. And also in landscape design, this plant is recommended for ennobling stony soils.
Planting cotoneaster Dummer
Dummer’s cotoneaster in terms of planting and care is an unpretentious plant. Planting is done by seedlings. The procedure is carried out in the spring, but it is possible in the fall. When planting in autumn, it is important to have time before frost, preferably during the period of leaf fall.
Cotoneaster Dummer is a sun-loving plant that tolerates full sun well.
The landing algorithm is as follows:
- A hole is needed 50 cm deep and the same width.
- Brick or pebbles are laid out at the bottom for drainage.
- A layer of earth is poured over the drainage. It should consist of peat, humus and sand. If necessary, you can add 200 grams of lime.
- Place the seedling in the prepared hole and bury it.
- The distance between seedlings is 50 cm.
When planting, the root neck should be flush with the surface. Experts recommend mulching the surface near the shrub with an 8 cm layer of peat. If the shrub is to be used as a hedge, then it must be planted in trenches.
Cotoneaster horizontal Dammer does not tolerate excess moisture, and therefore, when choosing a landing site, it is necessary that the depth of groundwater is at least two meters.
Cotoneaster aftercare
Plant care includes watering, pruning, and top dressing. As for watering, the cotoneaster really does not like excess water. Even in dry summers, it should be watered no more than once every two weeks. If there were even small rains, then watering can be done once a month. A bucket of water is poured under each bush – this is quite enough for the plant.
The basis of care is considered to be frequent loosening of the earth, as well as weeding the bushes so that weeds do not intertwine. Cotoneaster is frost-resistant, but in winter experts recommend pressing too high branches to the ground so that they do not freeze.
In order to form the necessary hedge, the plant needs to be cut regularly. Two-year-old shoots are recommended to pinch the growth point, then they will bush. After the pinching procedure, the young branches start growing again, only already creating the desired shape of the bush.
The shoots are cut off after the bush itself gives a green mass. According to the rules, up to a third of the green mass can be removed from a bush in one pruning. You can form a bush both in height and in the required shape. The form is most often done using a special wooden frame. The feeding algorithm is simple:
- In spring and autumn, they bring in a bucket of humus per 1 square meter.
- In the spring, 30 grams of mineral fertilizers per bucket of water.
- In summer, superphosphate and potassium are added under the bushes.
Organic fertilizers in the form of manure have a very positive effect on the growth and strength of cotoneaster.
Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention
To most diseases, Dummer’s cotoneaster is rooting resistant. Most often it is affected by pests. For example, apple aphid. If it appeared, then the shoots will bend and dry out, while the leaves will begin to wrinkle.
The tick is the most dangerous and common pest on cotoneaster. In order to avoid its appearance, it is enough to treat the bush with a solution of shag, tobacco or yarrow. In this case, the tick will not attack the plant. If the pest has already attacked the cotoneaster, and there is damage, then insecticides should be used.
Conclusion
Landscaping is popular, and more and more people want to properly and beautifully decorate their areas near the house. As one of the ornamental plants from which evergreen sculptures are formed, as well as hedges and rock gardens, Dammer’s cotoneaster. This is a beautiful shrub, the crown width of which reaches one and a half meters. The fruits have no taste, but they are not poisonous. So if you have kids, don’t worry. And in spring, the entire hedge will be covered with white flowers with a pleasant aroma.
