RED OR ORANGE BERRIES

Cotoneasters (pronounced co-tony-asters) or Firethorn. These two shrubs are spectacular in cooler climates during the winter months when their bright bunches of red and orange berries catch the eye. These bushes are unnoticed other than as green hedges until the cooler months arrive. Suddenly their berries ripen and bring colour to our winter views here in the cool mountain highlands of the Granite Belt of southern Queensland.

I was unfamiliar with these plants until November 1979 when I visited friends on the east coast of the USA. Al and Martha Lager owned a home at Saratoga in the hills overlooking Silicon Valley south of San Francisco. What an eye-opener that visit was for me as their region was in full flush with deciduous trees showing the glory of autumn colour. Their home was set into a hillside and the whole steep slope at the rear of their home was covered by Pyracantha – the Firethorn plant.

Californian firethorn

I was so impressed by the sight of this colourful, sprawling plant totally covering the hillside that I decided to grow two plants in my then garden at Dalby. The shrubs thrived, but I quickly realized they were thorny monsters unsuitable for a home where children might hit a cricket ball under their foliage. I dug them out!

In 1987 when Eberhard and I were living in Toowoomba and he was manager of the Club Restaurant at the University of Southern Queensland, we often went walking on the outskirts of the city and again I discovered some beautiful specimens of Pyracantha.

Arthur Chapman photo of Toowoomba Firethorn

In Toowoomba or here on the Granite Belt I have only seen  isolated shrubs, nothing like the displays I saw in California, or the hedges I later saw on the New England Tableland of New South Wales. The soil of this high plateau surrounding towns like Glen Innes is fertile and for generations has been famous for production of fat lambs. It is also cold country where it is not uncommon for winter snow falls. The early settlers planted hedges of Pyracantha – the Firethorn bush to contain their flocks of sheep and also to provide shelter breaks from the cold winds.

Firethorn berries

As one would expect the birds of Australia appreciated the introduction of this new berry to their diet and then began to spread the the plant as a thorny weed. Here on the Granite Belt I have seldom seen a Pyracantha shrub in a home garden and I have never seen a hedge of the Firethorn, but at this time of the year I do see the brightly coloured berries as they announce their presence on shrubs growing along the verges of the New England Highway and local roads. Recently, I discovered a small, self-sown Pyracantha plant beside our front fence, near the garden gate. It certainly can’t be allowed to continue to grow in that position. I am considering my options to transplant it elsewhere so that it will not become a thorny nuisance.

When we bought our farm at Glen Aplin I was delighted to discover a well established Cotoneaster shrub near the northern corner of our house. To my great surprise I soon found self-sown seedlings in the composted leaves under this shrub. What I was to learn is that it is difficult to propagate plants from these berries unless they go through a fermentation process, but once they have passed through the gut of a bird they germinate readily. Yet, I have never seen Cotoneaster plants growing wild on the Granite Belt. I believe that this is due to the harsh weather conditions and the porous, decomposed granite soil. It is only in the gardens of the Granite Belt where there is moist mulch under existing shrubs that Cotoneaster seedlings will germinate.

Cotoneaster hedge

I transplanted these self-sown seedlings to form a hedge the length of the northern fence of our garden. As winter approaches these berries will ripen and become a source of food for birds, especially the Satin Bower birds.

Bright red cotoneaster berries

Every year when setting our dinner tables for Christmas in July feasts I have gathered a basket of these berries, plus green holly leaves, green pine needles and brown pine cones from our Radiata pine trees to combine with red candles to create red and green Christmas style table decorations. I must add that although I have one large holly bush, which provides leaves for these decorations, the holly berries are the first to be eaten by the birds and I have never been blessed with holly seedlings. 

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

You can read more about our Christmas in July, German Christmas feasts filmed for SBS TV Food Lovers Guide to Australia in my book Wildflowers, wildnerness and wine now available on http://www.australia-book.com.au

It was Eberhard’s mother who taught him German cooking. You may read about his early life in Germany in my weekly posts on http://fayhelwigauthor.com