Why Cotoneasters Make Great Bonsai for Beginners

[@baldyeti]

Good knowledge drop on the cottoneaster. The Peking variety is cold hardy to zone 3, and is thriving on my Alaska benches. Good stuff, brother

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thank you! Wow, I'm impressed that a cotoneaster is that cold hardy. I've seen that species in garden centers around here - it's a nice looking plant. What other species do you grow in Alaska?

[@Aztecs911]

Yes the Cotoneaster is a great tree to work with. I agree with all your points about them.

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thanks for watching!

[@n8tyler]

Great tip...I'm going to start keeping and eye out for them...Thanks...

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Good luck. There's quite a few different varieties. If you can't find them locally, Evergreen Gardenworks (in California) has a few varieties and sizes; I've bought several plants from them and have had a good experience. One downside buying from them is that you don't get to choose the individual plant.

[@lorigraham2496]

I have several big ones in my yard that put out starts all the time. Neighbors may be glad to give away starts. I'm in zone 4. They do fine in winter with just a little leaf mulch. Never had a bug.

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thanks for the info. You're the second viewer who has mentioned growing cotoneaster in USDA Zone 4 - do you protect the roots over winter? What species do you have? Great that you've dealt with zero bugs - that might be related to being in Zone 4 - those low temps might keep some bug populations low.

[@lorigraham2496]

@@BonsaiNorthwest I don't remember what I planted. For protect I just put the pot on the ground and mulch with a few leaves. I put up some low tarps for wind protection.

[@Bonsai_Noob]

They are great, i have a few collected from demolition sites as little stumps, starting to look convincing foliage pads and branching. No flowers or fruit yet but hopefully this coming season

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Awesome, collecting at demolition sites is a great way to get material that otherwise would have just gone to waste. Glad they are working out for you, and hope you get some flowers.

[@DeciduousSnurb]

Always wanted to try Cotoneaster and I haven't seen them sold here yet, at least the places I've shopped. I saw some planted in a parking lot, took cuttings with no luck. I might have to get one from Bonsify, I've had good experiences with them.

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Bonsaify has had some really nice more 'finished' (and pretty pricey, around $100) small cotoneaster bonsai in the past, nothing currently, although maybe in the future. I checked and they do have starter cotoneaser at the moment. Evergreen Gardenworks in California also sells a variety of cultivars and sizes. They are pretty common here in the NW US at garden centers - if you don't mind telling, I'm curious, where are you located?

[@DeciduousSnurb]

@@BonsaiNorthwest I live in SE Indiana, near Cincinnati, OH. I figure I'll stumble upon one someday. I just need to check out some different garden centers I guess.

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Perhaps they are less common in the Midwest?

[@baldyeti]

@@DeciduousSnurbgo a bit north to find them. Dave from Dave’s Bonsai is in Minnesota and they have them available there.

[@DeciduousSnurb]

@@baldyeti Thanks Yeti, when I travel I will have to keep an eye out 👍🏽

[@Tinoshke07]

Cotoneaster is one of my favourite species for bonsai and there are so many varieties. I don't 'make' big bonsai so Cotoneaster is ideal for me for making smaller bonsai.

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

One reason I love cotoneaster is as you've said - it's a great species for small bonsai. Eric with Bonsaify has been an inspiration for me; the mini cotoneaster bonsai that he has featured on KZbin and the trees that he's had available for purchase inspired me to give the species a try. I've got another couple in the ground that I'm developing for small bonsai.

[@Vince-ml9gw]

👏👏👏

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thank you!

[@BackyardBonsai-v2w]

I must admit that cotoneaster isn't one I've heard of before...urs made a nice lil tree 👍

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thank you! I have always thought of them as being common, but maybe not. I guess they aren't too common in the Midwest, and perhaps not Tennessee either? I haven't spent much time east of the Mississippi...

[@BackyardBonsai-v2w]

@@BonsaiNorthwest it's more than likely just my lack of knowledge on the different varieties out there lol I know the basic different tree species but when it comes to the sub categories I'm still very much learning. And as for the bush species I know very little. I know boxwood and forsythia ( commonly called Easter bush in my area) but that's about it. The variety of each category is rather amazing

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

@@BackyardBonsai-v2w Yes, I love visiting garden centers to see all the varieties that growers are developing. Over the years I've noticed that, at least for garden centers around here, varieties often show up once and then you never see them again in coming years.

[@bhagwandass4119]

Not available in India

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

That's interesting, since to my understanding, cotoneasters are native to Asia. They are at least prolific and doing well in my region of the United States.