Note: Cotoneaster lacteus, mentioned below, has been recognized as an invasive species that threatens California’s native plant communities. For more, see the Invasive Plant Council (cal-ipc.org).

Red berries set against rich green leaves are one of the most attractive sights in winter. Yet most of them, including the flesh-covered seeds of the yew, disappear during the darkest days of ...

Q. I used to live in Virginia and had English holly shrubs to provide greens for holiday decorations. Now that I live in Southern California, I could use a suggestion for a good holly substitute that ...

Every garden, large or small, needs plants that really earn their keep. Cotoneasters do that. They are handsome, dense shrubs - or small trees - with good habits and impressive flowers. A member of ...

I have a volunteer cotoneaster growing in my garden and I cannot decide whether to remove it or just let it be. A volunteer is a plant that sprouts from a seed you never planted. It comes from a seed ...

Light up your landscape with no-fuss plants that offer brilliant red berries. The beauty of winter lies in stark contrasts, with bare limbs silhouetted against cool blue skies. Add colorful winter ...

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. A big crop of red berries is a traditional sign that a British winter will be cold. So far this year, tradition ...

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. I wish I could grow camellias but the garden’s soil is all wrong. Instead I can grow cotoneasters, so why have ...