I live in Hastings Ontario which is supposed to be Zone 5a. However, I prefer growing plants hardy to at least Zone 4. So this brings me to why I'm writing. I need a tall evergreen shrub or at least a dense shrub (tall, of course). I need hedging/screening. On the picture you'll see what I'm trying to hide. The trailer has since been sold but the sign will be there forever. I heard about cotoneaster which is supposed to have these lovely white flowers in the spring and red berries in the fall and winter. It sounds wonderful. The trouble is, there are so many varieties of cotoneaster. I need the hardiest one - to zone 3 or 4 because of the high winds around here. If you look at the lowest third of the picture with a row of small plants, that's where I would like a nice hedge. Any suggestions? Also, I have a large area to cover so I want to know if I can grow from seed. Are they fast growing?
Cotoneaster lacteus would probably not survive the first winter there, I have seen it go black during a cold winter here in USDA 8.
