Pyracantha palustris Sparkler

The Pyracantha Sparkler makes a beautiful sight, with its bright variegated evergreen foliage of cream and pink, its graceful white flowering and its brilliant red-orange berries. A true favourite for this species with multiple features that will reconcile all gardeners with Pyracantha, with its sharp thorns!

The Pyracantha, commonly known as Firethorn, is a spiny flowering shrub native to the Mediterranean region and temperate Asia, belonging to the Rosaceae family. It is cultivated for its evergreen foliage, spring flowering, and brightly coloured berries. The Pyracantha Sparkler is a fast-growing small tree of modest size, measuring 1m (3ft) to 1.50m (5ft) at maturity, with an equal spread. It has a bushy, upright and spreading habit, with slender reddish-brown branches contrasting with a magnificent variegated evergreen foliage. Indeed, its small lanceolate leaves are light green with cream margins, turning pink in autumn. From May to June, it is adorned with clusters of graceful small white flowers with five petals, nectar-rich and with a sweet honey fragrance, resembling those of Hawthorn. This flowering on old wood is followed, from summer onwards, by an abundant fruiting in the form of numerous small spherical berries, resembling small apples, red-orange in colour, and persisting for a long time. Under the weight of this profusion of fruits, the branches tend to bend, giving grace to its habit. The berries are highly appreciated by birds in winter, providing them with food during the harsh season.

As an ornamental and decorative shrub throughout the year, this small-sized Pyracantha has numerous uses. Due to its compact growth, it can be cultivated in large pots on a balcony or patio.  It can also, like many Pyracanthas, be used in the composition of a low, flowering hedge, either informal or pruned. It can be planted individually, at the front of flower beds, or within a group of shrubs. This Sparkler Firethorn can be associated with small flowering shrubs, as well as climbing roses, shrub roses, or small-sized Hydrangea paniculata.