What soil does Carpet cotoneaster grow in?

It tolerates these soils: average garden soil, clay, sandy, calcareous, acidic.

Is Carpet cotoneaster hardy?

Hardy down to -23 °C (USDA zone 6, RHS H7). It gets through winter everywhere at lower altitudes, but may not survive unprotected in a mountain garden.

How much water does Carpet cotoneaster need?

Water need: low. Drought tolerance: high.

Carpet cotoneaster

Cotoneaster procumbens

Carpet cotoneaster (Cotoneaster procumbens) is a ground cover plant. Light: full sun, part shade. Hardy down to -23 °C. Drought tolerance: high.

Illustration of Carpet cotoneaster — An illustration of the typical shape of the mature plant, not a photo.

What it's good for, and what it isn't

An evergreen cotoneaster that lies completely flat on the ground, with tiny, glossy, dark green leaves: it is only 10 to 30 cm tall but spreads one and a half to two and a half metres, and its trailing stems root where they touch the soil. In May and June bees work its small white flowers, and from autumn it carries red berries. Use it on slopes, in rock gardens, over walls and to cover larger areas; it grows in sun or part shade in any well-drained soil and handles drought well. You will mostly find it as 'Queen of Carpets' and 'Streib's Findling', the latter often sold filed under the small-leaved cotoneaster.

Watch out for

Cotoneasters are hosts of fire blight (Erwinia amylovora): shoots suddenly turn brown as if scorched, the infected part has to be cut back well into healthy wood, and in Central Europe it is wise to keep the plant away from apple, pear and quince plantings. Scale insects, aphids (woolly aphid included) and webber caterpillars may occur, as can leaf spot and honey fungus, which kills the roots. This species is on neither the EU nor the Hungarian invasive list, but several Chinese species of the genus (wall cotoneaster, for instance) escape from gardens in Central Europe and are on the invasive list in Switzerland, so do not plant it next to natural rock grassland or dry meadows.

Key facts

Light: Full sun, Part shade
Water need: Low
Care: Low
Size after 10 years: 20 cm × 1.8 m
Hardiness: down to -23 °C
Foliage: Evergreen
Flowering: J F M A M J J A S O N D May–June, white

Group	Ground cover
Light	Full sun, Part shade
Size after 10 years	20 cm × 1.8 m
Ultimate size	10–30 cm × 1.2–2.5 m
Hardiness	down to -23 °C (USDA 6, RHS H7)
Soil	Average garden soil, Clay, Sandy, Calcareous, Acidic
Foliage	Evergreen
Flowering	May–June, white
Water need	Low
Drought tolerance	High
Maintenance	Low
Root aggressiveness	Low
Suckering	no
Spreading	Medium
Distance from buildings	no data
Distance from paving	no data
Litter	not typical
Planting distance	60 cm
For dogs	no data
For cats	no data
For children	Mildly toxic (uncertain)
Typical price	no data

Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor.

Frequently asked questions

Data updated: October 8, 2026 · How our data is made

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Ground cover plants Drought-tolerant plants Drought-tolerant plants for sandy soil Evergreen plants Plants for containers

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