To create the perfect design of a garden or a local area, many land owners ponder on what types it is best to equip at their own summer cottage. Among the abundance of the presented varieties of park plants, you can easily find a representative of the flora from any geographic zone. However, most of them never achieve much popularity, but some of them create real excitement around themselves.
These overly popular types of domestic homesteads are cotoneaster. The plant is not distinguished by a special brightness of colors and individuality. Also, it can not be called recognizable at first sight. However, this does not give the bush problems on the way to the development of new territories. So why Is the cotoneaster horizontal so popular in landscape design? With these we have to figure out, as well as find out what conditions are necessary in order to grow this plant in the garden.
Description and characteristics
Cotoneaster horizontal refers to decorative species which represent Family Pink. In the natural environment, it is distributed mainly in China. This graceful plant in the wild is the best decoration of lifeless rocky slopes. The main distinctive feature of the shrub is laid in its name. This is primarily a creeping in horizontal position, characterized by evergreen foliage.
Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples, pears, cherries, quinces, loquat, almonds, cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, shadberries, wild cherries, hawthorn, rose, spirea, rowan and cloudberry, as well as the horizontal kilogram, belong to the family of pink and are common in almost all areas of the globe.
Did you know? This ornamental shrub has received its domestic name due to the similarity of its fruits with the species called “dogwood” that has been used in food since ancient times.The size of the plant is pretty tiny, its height does not exceed 70 cm, and its width is more than 1.5 meters. Shrub shoots are quite branched and create a dense crown. Each shoot is covered with small and rounded leaves of dark green color, which closer to the autumn change to a characteristic purple shade. The flowering period in this species begins at the end of May and lasts for 3 weeks, while the shoots are covered with small, almost imperceptible paired or single flowers of a delicate pinkish-white shade. After flowering on the shrub bright red small fruits appear, which in most cases can remain on the plant until the next spring.
Did you know? Latin name cotoneaster sounds like "сotoneaster", which translated from ancient Greek means "like a quince." This name arose due to the fact that the leaves of one of the species of this plant resemble quince foliage.
Among the many representatives of the most popular among gardeners enjoys cotoneaster horizontal variegatus (Variegatus). An adult plant is small, its height does not exceed 30 cm in height and 1.5 m in width. This shrub variety has gained particular popularity due to its amazing aesthetic color in the autumn period. With the onset of cold weather, green foliage changes its color to exquisite burgundy with a delicate white-cream edging. This feature of the bush gives the garden a special warm and cozy atmosphere in the cold season.
Advantages and application
Cotoneaster horizontal in the garden has a fairly wide range of applications. The plant is recommended to plant in rockeries, near the retaining walls. Also, this shrub can be used as a lawn species. The creeping structure of the shoots allows it to completely cover the habitat area and become the dominant species on it.
The main function of the plant - This is a complete filling of the space of the lower or middle tier. Shrub planted massively or single plants. Particularly popular is a hedge or a curved wall curb. To do this, young plants are planted along the contour of the fence at a distance of 30 cm from each other. After 2 years of free growth, you can safely begin the process of forming a fence with the help of garden shears. Gradually, the shrub grows and after a few years a full-fledged living fence is formed. 
Did you know? The cotoneaster was first used as an ornamental plant in the botanical garden in 1864.When growing a single plant from the shoots of the bush form a complex crown, which in appearance can take on a different look. Such a composition in landscape design can be combined with any type of plants, which makes it possible to create unique landscaping areas. Also, this species is an ideal component of the "Japanese garden"; with the help of a bush, characteristic compositions with decorative boulders are formed.
Check out the most common types of cotoneaster.
Landing features
In order to equip a cotoneaster shrub in your garden, you will have to be patient and diligent. Despite the fact that this plant is unpretentious, planting it in open soil requires considerable effort. The optimal period for this process will be early spring. 
Important! Cotoneaster must be planted until the buds form on it, otherwise the plant may not settle down in a new place.
Choosing a place
The plant prefers places with diffused light or partial shade, the lack of light does not affect the decorativeness of the bush, so it develops safely with any intensity of solar radiation. However, the most aesthetically beneficial specimens develop exclusively in conditions of good illumination and the correct combination of the garden's long-haul. 
Soil for cotoneaster
The soil is one of the first difficulties to be faced when planting a cotoneaster. Not in all conditions the bush will be well taken. The ideal solution would be to add a specially prepared substrate of sand, peat compost and turf, which is prepared in proportions of 2: 1: 2 per well before planting, it is also important to add lime to the soil per 300 grams per 1 square meter. The addition of such a substrate contributes to almost 100% survival of the seedling. Well, the main soil should have good permeable abilities, as in conditions of stagnant moisture, the shrub slowly develops and may even soon die. 
Landing rules
There are several ways of cultivating cotoneaster at the dacha: seeds, grafting, cuttings or layering. All of them give a full-fledged opportunity to plant this plant in their area, but not every one of them is distinguished by high efficiency.
Seeds
Sowing seeds is the least efficient way to grow cotoneaster, since they do not have a high degree of germination. With the most promising estimates, only 60 percent of the seeds produced will produce a full-fledged viable sprout. In early October, after the fruits fully ripen, they are carefully torn off and the flesh is removed with the peel.
The resulting seeds poured into a container of water. Those that sink to the bottom are suitable for sowing, the rest should be rejected. Next, the seeds are sown in the soil. In the period from the end of May to the beginning of June shoots appear, which are thinned out of necessity. Only after 2-3 years, when the seedlings are stronger, they can be transplanted to a permanent place. It is important not to forget to pinch the top. 
Important! Cotoneaster seeds need to be sown in the fall, as for favorable shoots they must spend the winter in the soil. Without this, their similarity decreases several times.
Cuttings
Reproduction by young cuttings is The most effective way to grow a cotoneaster bush in open field. To this end, in early June, planting material is being prepared. From young shoots, cuttings are cut, after which they are soaked for a day in water or a special solution for rooting. After that, the cuttings are planted in the open loosened soil at an angle of 45 °. For rooting it is best to use a special substrate, which is prepared from equal parts of sand and peat. Material planted in the ground is covered with a cut off top of a plastic bottle with an open neck. On a permanent place rooted cuttings transplanted next spring. 
Layering
In order to get a new plant due to layering, in early spring the upper edges of young shoots are dropped to a depth of about 10-15 cm. To do this, small holes are created in the soil around the plant, at the bottom of which it is necessary to pour a specially prepared substrate of equal parts of peat and sand. After that, the layering is forgotten for a year, and only next spring, the rooted shoots are cut and transplanted to a permanent place. 
Inoculation
Grafting cotoneaster horizontal - This is the most extraordinary way of cultivating this shrub. To do this, the plant is grown on a special rod, prepared from the stem of any tree of the family Pink. The procedure begins in early spring. A cotoneaster sprout is grafted onto the top of a tree trunk, after which all side branches are removed. Before the procedure, the sprout undergoes special training: an oblique cut is cut on its upper part, and a wedge on the lower part.
Important! To avoid rotting of the tops of the grafted cutting, it is necessary to process the cut as a brew for the garden.Within a month, the vaccinated part takes root and begins to grow actively. From this point on, it is necessary to closely monitor the growth process, trim the plant to form a graceful cap. Already after 2 years, a full-fledged crown is formed on a shtamba with a graceful hat characteristic of it, of which any garden can be proud.
How to care for a plant?
For the most part, it is not hard to care for this type of shrubus, as it is not whimsical and does not require special knowledge for this.
Watering
Cotoneaster refers to a species that does not tolerate excess moisture, so this plant does not need constant watering, even in the case of drought. The procedure can be carried out no more than 1 time per month. However, in the dry and hot summer, the shrub is still recommended to be watered more often, for this the amount of water for irrigation should not exceed 8 buckets (for an adult plant). In this case, the frequency should be 1 time in 2 weeks. After watering, it is necessary to loosen the soil to a depth of about 15 cm at the base and, if possible, eliminate weeds. 
Fertilizer
The plant does not need additional nutrients, however In the spring, fertilizer feeding is necessary. The first time the procedure is carried out in early spring, with the onset of the first sunny days. To do this, use a special solution. To prepare it in 10 liters of water dissolve 25 g of urea, after which the resulting substance is poured over the base of the shrub. You can also use Kemira universal fertilizer with the calculation of 100 g per 1 square meter. soil. Next time the shrub is fertilized before flowering (end of May). To do this, you can use 15 g per 1 square meter. sulfuric potassium or 60 g per 1 sq. m. superphosphate granules.
Pruning
Shrub refers to this kind of plant, which safely transfers pruning. Shrub for the season should be subjected to sanitary, rejuvenating and shaping (aesthetic) haircut. For aesthetic purposes, the global pruning of the plant is carried out in the spring, until the buds appear. In this case, the annual shoots must be cut off by no more than a third of their growth. After pruning, the shoot quickly grows, but the crown shape remains intact. 
It remains necessary only occasionally to maintain the appearance. Rejuvenating haircut is also carried out until the appearance of the kidneys. At this time, it is necessary to clearly identify unnecessary shoots and cut them without losing the overall aesthetic appearance of the bush. Sanitary pruning can be done at any time of the year, since the removal of dead plant parts does not stimulate the growth of the shrub.
Cover the cotoneaster for the winter?
Despite the fact that the cotoneaster is horizontal belongs to frost-resistant species, it’s still it requires careful preparation for the winter, especially in regions subject to the harsh northern cold. For this, the soil around the base is mulched, after which the shoots are tilted as close as possible to the ground and secured in this position. Next, the plant is shrouded. To do this, you can use a special artificial covering material, which can be bought in any plant shop, fallen leaves or branches of coniferous trees. In this bundled form, cotoneaster can survive even the most severe frosts. 
Ornamental cultivation of shrubs is a fairly simple and aesthetic way to plant trees and trees. They always help to create a festive atmosphere in the country or the local area. Cotoneaster horizontal in this sense is the best choice, since planting and caring for it are quite simple, you only need to pay attention to it only 2 times a year and the plant will please its owner with beauty.
