This month sees Corokia cotoneaster covered in small yellow star shaped flowers. In bud, they are cardboard brown, expanding to allow the five linear petals to spread flat revealing an orange hue where the floral structure resides. A slight coconut fragrance can be detected on warmer days.

Planted to the north of the Front Range Glasshouses, it is a mass of twiggy, intertwining growth that forms an impenetrable barrier. This no-prune evergreen shrub should be allowed to develop its own form and stature as it amasses vegetative growth. Young leaves resemble a table tennis bat of fresh green, with a distinctive white reverse. A central mid rib runs the length of the stalk and leaf, becoming defined with maturity.

Nearby is a younger plant grown from seed collected near Wellington on North Island New Zealand. Corokia cotoneaster is member of the family Argophyllaceae.

Corokia cotoneaster

Corokia cotoneaster