Scarlet firethorn

Pyracantha coccinea

M.Roem. Species

Pyracantha coccinea
Martin Kalfatovic via iNaturalist — CC BY 4.0
Pyracantha coccinea photograph 1 Pyracantha coccinea photograph 2 Pyracantha coccinea photograph 3 Pyracantha coccinea photograph 4 Pyracantha coccinea photograph 5 Pyracantha coccinea photograph 6
Botanical name
Pyracantha coccinea
Family
Rosaceae
Genus
Pyracantha
Flowering period
May to June
Height
3–4 m
Spread
2.5–3.5 m
Hardiness
Fully hardy (RHS H6)
Reference
World Flora Online

How to grow Scarlet firethorn

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team Last reviewed 21 July 2026 Written for UK gardens How we research our guidance

Sunlight
Full sun to partial shade; will fruit in a north aspect
Watering
Low once established
Soil
Most well-drained garden soils
Soil pH
Acid to alkaline

Planting

Often wall-trained, where it will fruit heavily even on a shaded aspect. It also makes an effective intruder-proof boundary hedge. Plant well away from paths — the thorns are long and sharp.

Pruning

Prune in late spring after flowering, shortening the current year's shoots and leaving the developing berries. Trimming again in late summer exposes the fruit but any later cutting removes next year's flowering spurs.

Propagation

Semi-ripe cuttings in late summer. Seed-raised plants are variable in berry colour.

Pests and diseases

Scab disfigures both leaves and berries, turning fruit black and causing leaf fall. Fireblight can kill whole branches — cut well back into healthy wood and burn the prunings.

Value to wildlife

Very good: dense thorny cover for nesting birds, nectar in spring, and heavy crops of berries taken by blackbirds and thrushes through autumn.

Notes

Wear thick gloves and eye protection when pruning. Thorn scratches from pyracantha turn septic readily.

Some structured details on this page (such as tolerances, pH and hardiness) come from USDA PLANTS Database (public domain). The written guidance is GardenDecoded's own, researched as described in our editorial policy.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Pyracantha coccinea but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

Cotoneaster pyracantha Cotoneaster pyracantha unranked lalandei Crataegus dumosa Crataegus hyracantha Crataegus lalandei Crataegus lalandei unranked microcarpa Crataegus pauciflora Crataegus pauciflora Crataegus pyracantha Crataegus pyracantha unranked lalandei Crataegus pyracantha var. pauciflora Gymnopyrenium pyracantha Mespilus lalandei Mespilus pauciflora Mespilus pyracantha Mespilus pyracantha var. pauciflora Oxyacantha amygdalifolia Pyracantha coccinea f. latifolia Pyracantha coccinea var. fructu-albo Pyracantha coccinea var. implexa Pyracantha coccinea var. lalandei Pyracantha coccinea var. pauciflora Pyracantha lucida Pyracantha pauciflora Pyracantha pyracantha Pyracantha pyracantha f. lalandei Pyracantha spinosa Pyracantha spinosa unranked lalandei Pyracantha vulgaris Timbalia pyracantha

Others in Pyracantha

Pyracantha angustifolia
Pyracantha crenulata
Pyracantha crenulata f. flava
Pyracantha densiflora
Pyracantha inermis
Pyracantha koidzumii

GardenDecoded is an educational gardening reference. Botanical data comes from World Flora Online and GBIF; growing guidance is our own. Always check a plant's toxicity and local invasiveness status before planting, and never eat or apply a plant based on this site alone.