How big does Chenault coralberry grow?

About 60 cm × 2.5 m after ten years (height × width). Its ultimate size is 45–80 cm × 1.5–3.6 m.

What soil does Chenault coralberry grow in?

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

Is Chenault coralberry hardy?

Hardy down to -34 °C (USDA zone 4, RHS H7). It gets through winter in every part of the country.

Is Chenault coralberry toxic to children?

Yes, it is mildly toxic to children.

When does Chenault coralberry flower?

Flowering: June–September, pink, white.

How much water does Chenault coralberry need?

Water need: medium. Drought tolerance: high.

What should I plant instead of Chenault coralberry?

We do not recommend it because it is on the EU or the Hungarian list of invasive species. For a similar purpose we recommend: Cypress spurge, Rockspray cotoneaster, Bloody cranesbill, Catmint.

Chenault coralberry

Symphoricarpos × chenaultii

Chenault coralberry (Symphoricarpos × chenaultii) is a ground cover plant that reaches 60 cm × 2.5 m after ten years. Light: full sun, part shade, shade. Hardy down to -34 °C. Drought tolerance: high. Mildly toxic to children. Sold in local shops from about €6. We do not recommend it because it is on the EU or the Hungarian list of invasive species.

Illustration of Chenault coralberry — An illustration of the typical shape of the mature plant, not a photo.

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

A hybrid snowberry of garden origin, sold almost only as the low, sprawling cultivar Hancock for ground cover: barely 50 to 80 cm tall but spreading 2 to 3 metres wide. Its tiny bluish-green leaves make a dense carpet, with insignificant pink flowers in summer and pinkish-red berries in autumn. It is popular because it grows on banks, under trees and in dry shade where little else will. But its branches root wherever they touch the soil, so it keeps on spreading, and it is officially an invasive species, so we do not recommend it for gardens; its berries are mildly poisonous.

We do not recommend this plant

We do not recommend it because it is on the EU or the Hungarian list of invasive species. Further down we show what to plant instead.

Watch out for

Officially an invasive woody plant. Its arching branches root wherever they touch the soil and it also throws up suckers, so the patch grows every year: a single plant eventually becomes a dense carpet several metres wide, running into the next bed, the lawn edge and lower plants, and it does not stop at the garden boundary. The rooted shoots become independent plants, which makes it hard to push back later; the edges need cutting back regularly and rooted branches have to be pulled out. Hungarian Government Decree 282/2024 (IX. 30.) names it in Annex 2 among the invasive woody plants, so it may not be planted, or used as a replacement, on public-use land; the decree does not ban it in private gardens. Other problems: powdery mildew, leaf spot, scale and aphids can occur, though the cultivar Hancock resists them fairly well.

Key facts

Light: Full sun, Part shade, Shade
Water need: Medium
Care: Medium
Size after 10 years: 60 cm × 2.5 m
Hardiness: down to -34 °C
Foliage: Deciduous
Flowering: J F M A M J J A S O N D June–September, pink, white

Group	Ground cover
Light	Full sun, Part shade, Shade
Size after 10 years	60 cm × 2.5 m
Ultimate size	45–80 cm × 1.5–3.6 m
Hardiness	down to -34 °C (USDA 4, RHS H7)
Soil	Average garden soil, Clay, Sandy, Calcareous, Acidic
Foliage	Deciduous
Flowering	June–September, pink, white
Water need	Medium
Drought tolerance	High
Maintenance	Medium
Root aggressiveness	Low
Suckering	yes
Spreading	High
Distance from buildings	no data
Distance from paving	no data
Litter	not typical
Planting distance	80 cm
For dogs	Mildly toxic (uncertain)
For cats	Mildly toxic (uncertain)
For children	Mildly toxic
Typical price	from about €6

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

What to plant instead

Recommended plants that do the same job, with similar characteristics.

Cypress spurge

Euphorbia cyparissias 30 cm × 1 m after 10 years

A perennial whose fine blue-green, needle-like foliage makes it look like tiny conifer seedlings, covering a dry sunny bank or gravel patch in…

Ground cover

Full sun

from about €4.90

Rockspray cotoneaster

Cotoneaster horizontalis 70 cm × 1.8 m after 10 years

A slow, flat-spreading shrub with herringbone branches and tiny glossy leaves that turn red in autumn, followed by red berries that last into…

Ground cover

Full sun

Part shade

from about €8.90

Bloody cranesbill

Geranium sanguineum 30 cm × 60 cm after 10 years

A tough ground-covering perennial that forms a low mound of finely cut leaves, dotted with magenta-pink flowers from late spring into summer, and…

Perennial

Full sun

Part shade

from about €5

Catmint

Nepeta × faassenii 50 cm × 80 cm after 10 years

A loose mound of grey-green, aromatic foliage that carries clouds of lavender-blue flowers from May to September and is a favourite of pollinators.…

Perennial

Full sun

Part shade

from about €4.90

Sizes and prices available

The same plant is sold as a small pot and as a specimen several metres tall, and the price follows. Prices are rounded and for guidance only.

Size	Typical price
30-40 cm	approx. €6

Frequently asked questions

Data updated: October 13, 2026 · How our data is made

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