Pyracantha hedging

If you need to stop a lion eating your livestock, plant pyracantha. There have been many burglars claiming damages from householders for using them to stop them getting in to their properties. They are viciously prickly, but particularly attractive.
In winter the whole plant becomes covered in bunches of jewel like berries that provide a mass of food for the birds. Whilst not completely evergreen they will hold onto most of their bright green leaves until spring, when it’s quite normal for them to suddenly cast off most of their old leaves as the new buds burst. Plant them close together and within a year or two they will be completely impenetrable.

Clipping Pyracantha
Trim them back immediately after flowering and again in late summer. Avoid cutting off the flower/fruiting clusters for the best
winter show.

Dislikes
They will grow anywhere, but in the full sun they will grow faster and fruit better.

Feeding Pyracantha
They have a tendency to fruit so hard that they stress themselves, so a good low nitrate autumn feed will set them up for the
fruit and then a feed again in spring.