California Winterberry vs. Pyracantha

California Winter berry

• 1

  Dig a hole with the shovel in an area of your yard with the most sunlight and with little water runoff. The winterberry needs well-drained, nutrient rich soil for its roots to take. Pile fertilizer around the seed or shrub after it is planted, and then add top soil so that the roots are strong and steady enough to support the grown plant. Mulch liberally around the plant. Ensure that you have berries by planting male and female plants next to each other to encourage pollination. Winterberry is a dioecious species.

• 2

  Water your winterberry tree once or twice a week in the beginning so that the root system is kept moist. Watering right before temperatures drop keeps the roots viable as the thermometer dips below freezing. Stop the weekly watering once the roots are established and the plant can thrive on its own. Winterberry plants or shrubs are slow-growing, but over a few years, they create attractive trees or hedge lines for your yard.

• 3

  Prune the bush or tree annually to keep its shape controlled. As you prune, add mulch along the base until you reach the drip line where the branches end and drip water onto the ground. The extra mulch will keep weeds to a minimum and the ground moist.

Pyracantha

• 4

  Dig a hole in an area of the yard that will get the most sunlight and limited water runoff. If you're creating a private hedge screen, plant several firethorn bushes along a border of the yard. The red berries, sharp thorns and dark red leaves will give your landscape a colorful winter look that will last until spring, when they produce a profusion of white flowers.

• 5

  Water the plant initially once a week until the roots are established, and from then on whenever you haven't had rain for a while. Prune the pyracantha with the loppers each year or the plants will begin to look weedy and neglected.

• 6

  Plant small plants across a border, beneath a window or near a screened-in porch. Transplanting larger pyracantha from one place to another is difficult and often kills the plant during the replanting.