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Grown In The UK.
Established 1987.
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Cornus are grown for their outstanding bark which will bring a welcomed burst of colour to a dormant winter garden. The stems vary in colours, depending on the variety you select, and they look particularly effective when you plant different varieties alongside each other. They offer further interest in spring when their leaves appear, these are later accompanied by an array of spring flowers.
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Cornus alba Gauchaultii
Red Stem Dogwood
Common Name: Red Stem Dogwood Latin Name: Cornus alba 'Gauchaultii' Soil: Any moderately fertile soil (Will tolerate wet soils) Position: Full sun to part shade Flowering period/colour: May and June/ White Hardiness: Fully hardy Eventual height/spread: 4m/4m Special features: Vibrant red stems that light up a winter garden. The 'Gauchaultii' is a shrub with so much to offer, but its most notable feature has to be its striking winter stems. Once the leaves fall the most vibrant red stems are revealed and these really stand out in a winter garden; they look particularly special when surrounded by snow. Unlike some dogwoods, this one also has great interest in summer: the wavy leaves are mid-green in colour, but with a golden-yellow variegated edge; some leaves have a pink tinge to them, which adds further interest. Small sprays of creamy flowers appear in summer and these later become small, dark berries. This plant can tolerate waterlogged sites and we love it alongside other cornus plants, in a winter bed or border. Try alternating this with the darker Cornus alba 'Kesselringii' for winter contrast.
Cornus alba Kesselringii
Black Stem Dogwood
Common Name: Black Stem Dogwood Latin Name: Cornus alba 'Kesselringii' Soil: Any moderately fertile soil (Will tolerate wet soils) Position: Full sun to part shade Flowering period/colour: May and June/ White Hardiness: Fully hardy Eventual height/spread: 2.5m x 2.5m Special features: Dark red, then black, stems that create a striking winter focal point. This Dogwood boasts distinctive stems that really stand out in a winter garden; once the leaves fall the dark red shoots are visible and over winter these darken and become purple-black in colour. Aside from the shoots, the leaves are of interest throughout the growing season and these are highly ornamental themselves: the leaves are ovate in shape and dark green in colour, but some leaves have a deep purple blush to them. Furthermore, small sprays of creamy white flowers appear in summer and these later become tiny people berries. This hardy shrub works really well in a winter border, either on its own, in groups, or with other shrubs. In order to really make the colour of these stems stand out, we would recommend planting it alongside an accenting Cornus, like the 'Midwinter Fire', for a dramatic winter focal point.
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Cornus amomum 'Blue Cloud'
Dogwood
Common Name: Dogwood ‘Blue Cloud’ Latin Name: Cornus amomum ‘Blue Cloud’ Soil: Fertile, moist, well-drainedPosition: Full sunFlowering period/colour: spring- summer/ white Hardiness: Fully hardyEventual height/ spread: 2.5m/ 2.5m Special features: Clouds of blue berries in autumn This colourful shrub has so much to offer. In spring, just before the leaves, arched sprays of tiny white flowers appear and these carry a light scent. The spring foliage is a healthy, rich green and the leaves then turn orange and purple in autumn. Autumn also sees the arrival of clusters of tiny, metallic blue berries. One final show of colour comes in autumn when the vivid purple-red stems put on a show. This really is a shrub that offers year-round interest. In terms of its position, although it is a little shade tolerant, you will get the best stem colour in full sun; it makes an excellent border shrub and will be a welcome addition to any garden.
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Cornus Aurea
Red Barked Dogwood
Common Name: Red-Barked DogwoodLatin Name: Cornus alba 'Aurea'Soil: Any moderately fertile soil (Will tolerate wet soils)Position: Full sun to part shadeFlowering period/colour: May and June / WhiteHardiness: Fully hardyEventual height/spread: 2.5m x 2.5mSpecial features: Great winter interest and white summer flowers followed by white-blue fruits The ‘Aurea’ is the perfect choice for adding colour to your garden all year round. In spring, the golden-green leaves appear and these are soon complimented by small sprays of creamy white flowers in late spring and early summer. Come autumn, the leaves turn red and small clusters of white berries appear. After leaf fall, you can appreciate the attractive red stems of the ‘Aurea’, and these look particularly effective when planted alongside the glowing green shoots of the ‘Flavirmea’ dogwood.
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Cornus China Girl
Dogwood
Common Name: Cornus China GirlLatin Name: Cornus kousa var. chinensis 'China Girl'Soil: Average, medium moisture, well-drained, acid, alkaline or neutral.Position: Full sun to part shade. Flowering period/colour: June/White.Hardiness: Fully hardy in most parts of the UK, down to -15°C.Height and spread in 20-50 years: 4m-8m/4m-8mSpecial features: Large, freely produced flowers, with showy white bracts facing upwards from horizontally layered branches. Flowers are followed by brightly coloured fruits resembling strawberries. Intense autumn colour. Cornus kousa var. chinensis 'China Girl' is a real statement species, with architectural, horizontally layered branches. It is an early flowering form of Cornus kousa var chinensis. Cornus China Girl is at its most striking in June, when the branches are topped by profuse, upward-facing white flowers that resemble a thick covering of snow. The variety is deciduous, with intense autumn colour as the leaves turn red and orange before dropping. Dogwoods are best left unpruned as their natural shape is very striking. They are an ideal species for a low maintenance garden, as they respond best to no pruning at all. From a garden design point of view, they are best positioned where the structure can be admired from a distance in the summer months, for example as a specimen shrub in the middle of a lawn or at the back of a deep herbaceous border. The quality of flowering in any given year is somewhat dependent on the previous summer’s weather. Long hot summers lead to very profuse flowering the following year. Cornus China Girl is fairly easy to grow, tolerating a range of soil and situation. It will tolerate dry soil only once established, but requires watering before this. It does not tolerate shallow chalk well. It particularly thrives in fertile, well drained soil with plenty of organic matter. Final size in 20 to 50 years is 4m to 8m tall and 4m to 8m wide. The species is hardy in almost all parts of the UK, down to -15°C and prefers full sun or partial shade.
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Cornus controversa Variegata
Wedding Cake Tree
Common Name: Wedding Cake Tree Latin Name: Cornus controversa 'Variegata'Soil: Any moderately fertile soil. Position: Full sun to part shadeFlowering period/colour: Summer/CreamHardiness: Fully hardyEventual height/spread: 8m/8mSpecial features: Highly unusual tiers of branches that resemble a wedding cake.This variety of cornus is known as the 'Wedding Cake Tree' due to its horizontally tiered branches and creamy colouring, which makes it resemble a layered wedding cake. The leaves are narrowly ovate and deep green in colour with wide creamy margins. In June, creamy flowers appear in flat clusters and these later become black autumn berries. Further interest is added in autumn when the leaves turn golden yellow before falling. This is a great tree for planting as a focal point in a medium sized garden.
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Cornus Kelseyi
Compact Dogwood
Common Name: Compact Dogwood Latin Name: Cornus sericea 'Kelseyi'Soil: Any moderately fertile soil (Will tolerate wet soils)Position: Full sun to part shadeFlowering period/colour: May and June/WhiteHardiness: Fully hardyEventual height/spread: 0.75m/1.5mSpecial features: Fantastic winter interest with glowing red-yellow shoots. This Cornus is the perfect choice for year round interest and, unlike other cornus varieties, it maintains a compact form. In spring, new foliage emerges dark green and it is soon accompanied by pretty white flowers in late spring. The leaves later turn red-orange in autumn before falling, which reveals the attractive shoots. The glowing stems are red-yellow and add a brilliantly bold splash of colour to your winter garden.
Cornus Midwinter Fire
Dogwood
Common Name: Dogwood Latin Name: Cornus sanguine 'Midwinter Fire' Soil: Any moderately fertile soil (Will tolerate wet soils) Position: Full sun to part shade Flowering period/colour: May and June/ White Hardiness: Fully hardy Eventual height/spread: 2.5m x 2.5m Special features: Striking firey stems offer outstanding winter interest. Cornus are widely planted for their superb winter interest and the ‘Midwinter Fire’ is one of the best around. In winter, once the leaves have fallen, the yellow-orange stems are visible: over winter the tips turn to deep shades of red, giving you the effect of a fire in a sleeping winter garden. Aside from the shoots, the wavy leaves offer interest throughout the growing season and these are bright green, flushed with red. In summer delicate, creamy white flowers sit amongst the foliage. The prominent stems give this plant a definitive structure, particularly after leaf fall, so this is a great choice for structural planting. It works really well in a border with other cornus plants and alternating this with the golden stems of the Cornus stolonifera ‘Flaviramea’ looks particularly effective.
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