Firethorn ‘Red Cushion’

Firethorn ‘Red Cushion’, or pyracantha ‘Red Cushion’ by its Latin name, is variety of firethorn which produces clusters of white flowers in early summer followed by bright red berries in autumn. This thorny evergreen shrub with oblong dark green leaves has a spreading habit and can grow up to 3m tall. The abundant creamy white flowers that appear March-May are followed by berries in June, which provide an important source of food for birds. Firethorn ‘Red Cushion’ is best planted in full sun or partial shade, but is quite shade-tolerant.

Firethorns are medium to large sized shrubs with prickly branches, which makes them very suitable as intruder hedges. In addition, their dense, compact growth habit and evergreen nature makes them great as screening hedges, although this relatively low growing variety is best kept at 0.8m tall, which makes it more suitable as a low border hedge or even a ground cover. Firethorn ‘Red Cushion’ will take any soil type and does not require any special care.

Pyracantha ‘Red Cushion’ is resilient to cold weather, easy to maintain and can be pruned as necessary (ideally after flowering). This appealing shrub does not only provide autumn and winter interest, but also makes a lovely addition to any wildlife-friendly garden!