Firethorn
Pyracantha coccinea
An evergreen armed with genuinely vicious thorns and hung with dense clusters of orange or red berries from autumn into winter. It is the standard answer to a wall that needs covering, a boundary that needs securing, and a garden that needs feeding birds — often all three at once.
- Position
- Full sun or Partial shade or Dappled shade
- Water
- low demand
- Drainage
- Free-draining, Moisture-retentive
- Grows to
- 250–400 cm × 200–350 cm
- Hardiness
- H6
- Harvest
- September to December
- Difficulty
- Straightforward
August
Prune
Coming next month: harvest.
Firethorn’s year
Resolved for United Kingdom (general). Every window is stored against a climate event rather than a date, so a late frost pocket runs later than the band shows. What else August calls for.
| Activity | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | March. | April. | October. | November. | ||||||||
| In flower | May. | June. | ||||||||||
| Harvest | September. | October. | November. | December. | ||||||||
| Prune | July. | August. |
Timing that travels
The band above resolves this plant's windows into months for one region. These are the windows themselves, stored against a climate event rather than a date — which is the form that survives being carried to a colder garden, a frost pocket, or next year.
Conditions it needs
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade, Dappled shade
- Frost
- Very hardy
- Hardiness rating
- H6 (RHS)
- Grows best at
- 8–27 °C
- Soil
- Loam, Clay, Sandy, Chalky
- Soil pH
- 5.5–8
- Drainage
- Free-draining, Moisture-retentive
- Water needs
- low
- Drought
- good tolerance
- Waterlogging
- moderate tolerance
- Heat
- good tolerance
- Wind and exposure
- good tolerance
Where these figures come from
- LightSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha — position
Checked 2026-08-13
- FrostSourced guidancehigh confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha — hardiness
Checked 2026-08-13
- Hardiness ratingSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: RHS hardiness ratings
Checked 2026-08-13
- Grows best atSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha — temperature
Checked 2026-08-13
- SoilSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha — soil
Checked 2026-08-13
- Soil pHSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Plant Finder — Missouri Botanical Garden: Pyracantha coccinea — culture
Checked 2026-08-13
- DrainageSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha — soil
Checked 2026-08-13
- Water needsHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
- DroughtHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
- WaterloggingHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
- HeatHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
- Wind and exposureHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
On your soil
Computed by comparing this plant's recorded requirements against each soil's recorded characteristics. A recorded horticultural fact overrides the comparison where GrowingHQ holds one.
| Soil | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy clay | Works, with one condition | Firethorn will crop on heavy clay, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. A plant that stays in the ground through winter with its roots in cold, saturated soil rots — which is what kills most of what fails on heavy ground, rather than the cold.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse. |
| Sandy | Prefers this soil | Sandy suits Firethorn as it stands: The pH suits it: it wants 5.5 to 8, and this soil is in that range. The free drainage is exactly what it wants. Sandy soil is among the soils it is recorded as suiting. It stands dry conditions better than most, which this soil will test. |
| Chalky and alkaline | Prefers this soil | Chalky and alkaline suits Firethorn as it stands: The free drainage is exactly what it wants. Chalky soil is among the soils it is recorded as suiting. It stands dry conditions better than most, which this soil will test. |
| Loam | Prefers this soil | Loam suits Firethorn as it stands: The pH suits it: it wants 5.5 to 8, and this soil is in that range. The free drainage is exactly what it wants. Loam is among the soils it is recorded as suiting. The soil holds moisture, which saves a great deal of watering. |
| Silty | Prefers this soil | Silty suits Firethorn as it stands: The pH suits it: it wants 5.5 to 8, and this soil is in that range. The free drainage is exactly what it wants. The soil holds moisture, which saves a great deal of watering. |
| Peaty and acid | Works, with one condition | Firethorn will crop on peaty and acid, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. A plant that stays in the ground through winter with its roots in cold, saturated soil rots — which is what kills most of what fails on heavy ground, rather than the cold.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse. |
| Shallow over rock | Prefers this soil | Shallow over rock suits Firethorn as it stands: The free drainage is exactly what it wants. Loam is among the soils it is recorded as suiting. It stands dry conditions better than most, which this soil will test. |
| Made ground and urban soil | Works, with one condition | Firethorn will crop on made ground and urban soil, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. A plant that stays in the ground through winter with its roots in cold, saturated soil rots — which is what kills most of what fails on heavy ground, rather than the cold.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse. |
Not sure which you have? Four hand tests will settle it.
Space and spacing
- Mature height
- 250–400 cm
- Mature spread
- 200–350 cm
- Rooting depth
- 70 cm
- Spacing
- 120–200 cm apart
Where these figures come from
- Mature heightHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
- Mature spreadHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
- Rooting depthHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
- SpacingSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha — spacing
Checked 2026-08-13
Habit and ultimate size
What the plant becomes, rather than what it is when you buy it. The gap between the two is where most planting mistakes live.
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- In a container
- Workable in a container, with conditions
Where these figures come from
- FoliageSourced guidancehigh confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha coccinea — foliage
Checked 2026-08-13
- In a containerHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
- Growth rate
- Fast — over about 60 cm a year
- Ultimate height
- 250–400 cm
- Ultimate spread
- 200–350 cm
- Time to reach it
- 8–12 yearsSourced guidance
Where these figures come from
- Growth rateSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha coccinea — growth rate
Checked 2026-08-13
- Ultimate heightSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha coccinea — ultimate height
Checked 2026-08-13
- Ultimate spreadSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha coccinea — ultimate spread
Checked 2026-08-13
- Time to reach itSourced guidancelow confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha coccinea — time to ultimate size
Checked 2026-08-13
source
Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
Value to wildlife
Recorded only where the evidence names a resource and the months it is available. Most plants flower; that on its own is not what this section is about.
- Nectar
- Useful, among other plants
- Berries for birds
- A significant source
- In flower
- May, Jun
- In fruit
- Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
Where these figures come from
- NectarSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha coccinea — value to pollinators
Checked 2026-08-13
- Berries for birdsSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha coccinea — fruit and birds
Checked 2026-08-13
source
Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
What keeping this costs
Berries form on short spurs off wood made the previous year, so shearing the whole plant over removes the crop. Prune in mid-summer once the fruit has set and you can see what you are taking off.
Where and how you can grow it
Each way of growing is assessed separately, and “not assessed” is a real answer rather than a gap we have filled in with a guess.
| Method | Suitability | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Open ground | Well suitedsourceSourced guidancemoderate confidence
Checked 2026-08-13 | |
| Traditional dug bed | Well suitedsourceSourced guidancemoderate confidence
Checked 2026-08-13 | |
| Raised bed | Well suitedsourceSourced guidancemoderate confidence
Checked 2026-08-13 | |
| Container | MarginalsourceSourced guidancemoderate confidence
Checked 2026-08-13 |
Growing it
- PruningPrune in mid-summer once the berries have set, so you can see what you are removing. Berries form on short spurs off wood made the previous year, so shortening the long new growths to a few leaves builds the spur system and increases the crop, while shearing the whole plant over removes it.
- TrainingAgainst a wall it needs wires and tying in — it has no means of attaching itself, despite being sold as a wall shrub. Fan the main stems out while they are young and flexible; an established branch will not bend.
- WateringWater for the first couple of years, especially against a wall — the strip of soil at the foot of a house wall is the driest position in most gardens, sheltered from rain by the overhang and drained by the foundations, and a wall-trained pyracantha that is never watered in its first summers rarely thrives. Plant it at least 30–45 cm out from the wall for the same reason. Once established it is genuinely drought-tolerant. A dry spell in summer can cause the berries to drop or colour poorly, which is the one time watering a mature plant is worthwhile.
- FeedingA balanced or high-potash feed in spring is worth giving to a wall-trained plant in dry poor soil, because berries are the point of the shrub and they are produced on wood made the previous year. Avoid high-nitrogen feeding: it gives long soft whippy growth, a great many thorns and noticeably fewer flowers, which is the wrong trade in every respect. A free-standing pyracantha in decent ground needs nothing beyond a spring mulch.
Where this guidance comes from
- PruningSourced guidancehigh confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha — pruning
Checked 2026-08-13
- TrainingSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha — training
Checked 2026-08-13
- WateringSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha — cultivation
Checked 2026-08-13
- FeedingSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha — cultivation
Checked 2026-08-13
What goes wrong
| Problem | How often | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pyracantha scab | commonsourceHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence No external citation — see the evidence type above. Checked 2026-08-13 | Blackened corky berries and sooty olive leaf blotches. |
Safety and edibility
- Contact hazardchildrenThe thorns are long, rigid and set at the base of the leaf clusters where they are hidden until met. Puncture wounds from pyracantha are a recognised cause of infected hands among gardeners, and eye injuries from pruning at head height are a real risk.
source
Sourced guidancehigh confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pyracantha — thorns
Checked 2026-08-13
Wear gauntlets and eye protection when pruning, and site it away from paths, play areas and anywhere people reach past it. Clean any puncture wound properly rather than ignoring it.
Sources for this page
GrowingHQ editorial synthesis · Plant Finder · Royal Horticultural Society
Each figure on this page carries its own citation, under the “where these figures come from” note in its section. Record last reviewed 2026-08-14.