We have two dogwoods on offer this year. </p hidden>Â
Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas) — we are just starting to get to know the Cornelian Cherry. I had never seen one flowering until this year, when I saw a tree nearby loaded with yellow flowers very early in spring. They seemed to last for weeks!
Despite the name, the Cornelian Cherry is actually a dogwood! Once you get to know it you’ll see it more and more. It is a rugged plant that is not so picky about where it is planted. The red fruit is edible and used in many traditional cultures around the world (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_mas). The seeds take two seasons to germinate so having these seedlings is really a prize!
What Are Seedlings?
Seedlings are plants that have been grown directly from a seed. They are genetic individuals whose traits that are not exactly known. Seedlings are in contrast with plants which have been cloned, as cloned plants are sure to have certain characteristics.
Often seedlings share characteristics with their parents, but exactly how much is shared depends on the species of plant. Having good parents certainly doesn’t hurt!
Red-Stemmed Dogwood (Cornus sericea) – a pretty wetland field or field edge shrub. Beautiful spring flowers, as well as bright red stems which stand out in a winter landscape. The color of the fresh stems is quite vibrant, so don’t be afraid to prune out older stems. This dogwood likes wetter areas, and its fibrous root system is great for erosion control. Expect a shrub up about 4 or 5 feet talk and about as wide.
The dogwoods are a highly diverse genus. We hope to add the more shade loving dogwoods to our catalog in the future.
Green Oiser Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)– this is a shade-loving understory tree. It has an attractive spreading habit to the branches, almost forming shelves! The flowers are attractive to pollinators and the berries are eaten by birds. </p hidden>
