Firethorn 'Soleil d'Or'

Firethorn 'Soleil d'Or' (Pyracantha 'Soleil d'Or') puts on a show twice a season: in late spring it is covered with dense corymbs of small white flowers, and in autumn with heavy crops of lemon-yellow berries that glow against the dark leathery foliage, which stays on the shrub through winter.

Grow it as an impenetrable thorny hedge, train it flat against a wall, or keep it in a wildlife garden as a bird feeder. A mature plant reaches 3-4 m in height and 1.8-2.4 m across, and what sets it apart from red-berried firethorns such as 'Red Column' is precisely that sunny fruit colour.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: The name Soleil d'Or is French for golden sun, matching the berries. Suppliers may list the very same cultivar as 'Orange Sun', 'Golden Sun' or 'Yellow Sun'.
• Dimensions: A mature plant reaches 3-4 m in height and 1.8-2.4 m in width.
• Hardiness: Hardy down to -20 °C (USDA zone 6).
• Flowering: In May the shrub covers itself in small but very pretty white flowers gathered into dense corymbs.
• Light: It grows equally well in full sun and part shade - a south, west or east aspect all suit it.
• Soil: It happily takes any moderately fertile garden soil - from very dry sand to heavy clay.
• Watering: Keep the soil moderately moist and well drained - the one thing the plant will not tolerate is standing water.
• Care: Prune right after flowering and spare the two-year-old shoots - those are the ones that will carry the berries.
• Landscape use: A classic for hedges and wall-trained espaliers, as well as for a city courtyard and a wildlife garden.