Cotoneaster dammeri ‘Strieb’s Findling’

Botanical Name: Cotoneaster dammeri ‘Strieb’s Findling’
Common Name: Strieb’s Findling Cotoneaster

Plant Hardiness: Zone 5

Flower: Small white flowers open in May. While they cover the plant they are delicate and short lived – showy but not overly

Bloom Time: May

Foliage: Small, semi-evergreen leaves are a dull green throughout the season. Leaves will darken in winter and some get a purple hue

Fruit: The small red berries are of interest all fall. They may compete with the foliage but are usually abundant enough to be showy

Habit: Flat growing groundcover that will hug rocks or other obstacles in its path. Relatively fast growing with a dense branching habit

Size: Very low growing – less than 6 inches. Will spread to 8 feet

Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

Native Habitat: Central China

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Description

Description: We received this plant from Gulf Stream Nursery several years ago and like it more every year we see it. Although this is a form of Cotoneaster dammeri, it has small rounded evergreen leaves similar to ‘microphylla’ or ‘repens’. It, however, is a very tight growing little plant and creeps literally right on the ground. The plants that I have planted by my house have stayed within an inch of the soil line, flowing over stones and making a most interesting ground cover. I was afraid this plant would not be hardy, but it survived some open periods during the disastrous winter of ’80-’81. During that time, some of the leaves turned brown, but basically, the plant stayed in very good shape. It is relatively fast growing once established and should become quite popular as people get to know it. Gulf Stream received their original plants from Holland but cannot trace its ancestry any further back than that. To show the different attitudes nurserymen will have regarding a single plant, Bob Tally wrote me, ‘never thought it anything special’. I think it is very special.