I always found Cotoneaster dammeri 'Coral Beauty' to be excellent, once you have got it trained to the required height.

Another good one is C. microphyllus. Perhaps not quite as flat as the above but still good and like it, evergreen unlike the often seen but still worthy C horizontalis that is deciduous.

C. horizontalis is one of the more usual ones. We have several that grow flat against the house wall without any support or training. They just get pruned to take them round the windows.

I agree with bulbaholic the birds love the red berries and the herringbone pattern branches are attractive, I do like 'coral beauty' but find it is quite vigorous and to keep it against a wall requires some pruning

C horizontalis would be my choice too.

There's a story that someone once saw a cotoneaster growing in this way against a wall and asked the owner what it was. "Cotoneaster verticialis," was the reply. I think they are still trying to find a Garden Centre that sells it

A not unreasonable invention, Andrew, lol!

I never understood the 'horizontalis' bit either. I have never seen it growing as a prostrate shrub.

I suppose another consideration would be weather it was wanted just for ornamental purposes or to cover or hide a fence ....? if the later then 'Horizontalis' is possibly a non starter!...;0)

I once grew it for ground cover over a spot where nothing would grow (contaminated soil?). Several years ago, the area in question got a revamp, the cotoneaster went and another shrub is growing quite happily in the 'problem' spot. There is also a variegated version (which is less vigorous) which I am planning to use to cover an area thick with tree roots

I have seen it as a prostrate shrub more often than growing up a wall, Bulbaholic - its not one of my favourites, I think its poor ground cover, it allows all sorts of unwanted plants to grow within it.