How to Grow and Care for Cornelian Cherry Dogwood

Early bloomer features yellow flowers, edible red fruits, and showy, flaky bark

The Cornelian cherry dogwood (Cornus mas) is a large, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub sometimes trained as a small tree. It is an early bloomer with yellow flowers in late winter or early spring. Unrelated to cherries, the edible fruits of cornelian cherries are tart, similar to cranberries or sour cherries. They were used in traditional and folk medicine in Europe and Asia for their antioxidant properties, vitamin content, and other medicinal uses.

Cornelian cherry dogwood grows best in acidic soil, requires at least four hours of sunlight, and is cold hardy down to -30 degrees F (USDA zone 4 to 8). Cornelian cherry dogwood is a fairly slow-growing species that will take up to 10 years to achieve 15 feet in height. It is normally planted in the spring.

How to Grow Cornelian Cherry Dogwood

This shrub will grow suitably in almost any well-drained soil in a location that gets at least 4 hours of sunlight daily. Once established, it has a good drought or occasional flooding tolerance but will not survive constant soaking in dense soils.

Here are the main care requirements for growing a cornelian cherry dogwood:

• Plant in a spot with full sun or partial shade.

• Prefers well-draining, humus-rich, acidic soil; can tolerate mildly alkaline soil.

• Likes moist soil, but do not let it get soggy.

• Withstands temperatures down to -30 F.
  

• Remove its suckers to prevent their spread.

• Fertilize twice during the growing season.
  

Light

This shrub prefers a location that offers full sun to partial shade. It requires a bit more sun than most dogwoods—less than 4 hours daily will lead to reduced flowering and fruit production.

Soil

Cornelian cherry dogwood is most happy with well-drained, rich soil with humus. It will fail to thrive in dense soils that constantly remain wet. While most dogwoods prefer slightly acidic soil, cornelian cherry dogwood can do fine even in slightly alkaline conditions.

Water

This plant has average water needs—it will thrive with about 1 inch of water per week through rainfall or irrigation. Ensure the moisture penetrates the soil to a depth of about 6 inches. Once established, this type of dogwood is relatively resilient, bouncing back from being flooded during wet spells or parched during drought.

Temperature and Humidity

Rated for USDA zones 4 to 8, cornelian cherry dogwood will survive temperatures down to minus-25 or minus-30 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fertilizer

Like most dogwoods, cornelian cherry dogwood is best fertilized once in the early spring, then once about three months later. Use a balanced slow-release granular fertilizer mixed into the soil around the roots. If you have extremely alkaline soil, using an acidifying fertilizer may help.

Types of Cornelian Cherry Dogwood

Cornelian cherry dogwood's identifying characteristics include a round or oval growth habit with green foliage about 2 to 4 inches long, with an opposite leaf arrangement and branching. Cornelian cherry dogwood leaves may develop shades of reddish-purple in fall, and its peeling, exfoliating brown bark gives it four-season interest.

Cornelian cherry dogwood shrubs feature clusters of yellow flowers appearing at the end of winter or early spring, blossoming before the plant has leaves. The groups of yellow flowers are similar in appearance to forsythia, and the red stone fruits (drupes) ripen in July, resembling olives in size and shape.

Other varieties in size, leaf coloration, and fruit colors include:

• ' Aurea': Yellow leaves and flowers, red fruit

• 'Golden Glory': Profuse, extra-large yellow flowers, large shiny red berries, upright branching growth habit

• ' Variegata' or `Elegantissima': Variegated leaves, glossy red fruit

• 'Alba': White fruit

• 'Nana': Dwarf, 3 feet tall

• 'Xanthocarpa' and 'Flava': Yellow fruit

• 'Fructo Violaceo': Purple fruit
  

Pruning Cornelian Cherry Dogwood

This shrub tends to form multiple leader stems, and to control the size, you'll need to prune away suckers that appear. To train the plant as a small tree, select a main leader as a trunk, then systematically prune away competing shoots. This species can also be readily pruned to maintain as a hedge plant.

The best timing for hard pruning is immediately after the flowers have faded in spring, but be aware that you'll lose the fruits for that season if you prune.

Propagating Cornelian Cherry Dogwood

As with most dogwoods, cornelian cherry dogwood is most often propagated by rooting stem cuttings, which is the best way to develop more plants that grow true to their parent plants. Cornelian cherry dogwood can be grown from seed, but seed sowing may thwart the efforts of cross-breeding and hybridization programs, aiming to reduce the size of the fruit's pits.

Cornelian cherry dogwoods can be grafted by scions attached low on the rootstock. Cutting and grafting are also much faster than growing from seed. When grown from cuttings or grafting, Cornelian cherry dogwood will usually start fruiting within one to two years of transplanting vs. six to 10 years when grown from seed.

If growing this plant for its fruit, plant at least two shrubs. Although cornelian cherry dogwood is somewhat self-fertile, the results will be better if there are at least two shrubs to cross-pollinate. To ensure pollination, hand-pollinate.

Here's how to propagate via stem cutting:

1. Snip 3- to 5-inch cuttings from the tips of green stems, then remove the bottom set of leaves.

2. Cut the other leaves in half, but leave them on the cuttings.

3. Dip the cut stem end in a rooting compound, then plant the cuttings in small containers filled with a commercial seed-starter mix or a mixture of perlite and sand.

4. Place the planted cutting inside a large plastic bag and the pot in a bright, warm location.

5. Check the cutting weekly to see if roots have developed (you will feel resistance when tugging on the cutting).

6. When a good network of roots has developed (about six weeks), remove the plastic bag and continue growing the new plant in a sunny window. Keep the potting mix moist.

7. Once the cutting outgrows its first pot, repot it in a container filled with ordinary potting mix.

8. When it outgrows the second pot, plant it in the landscape. This process may involve growing the rooted cutting indoors over the winter, then transplanting it outdoors the following spring.

How to Grow Cornelian Cherry Dogwood From Seed

Although it's preferred to start cornelian cherry dogwoods by stem cutting, here's how to start cornelian cherries from seed:

Direct sowing or outdoor sowing in pots:

1. Sow seeds in the ground or pots outdoors from fresh fruits in the fall. If keeping the pots outdoors, wrap the pots with insulation during the coldest months.

2. Plant the seeds in pots or seed trays filled with good quality, well-draining compost-enriched soil about 1/4 to 1/2-inch deep.

3. The seed's exposure to cold and warming cycles will spur germination.

How to cold stratify artificially:

1. To cold stratify indoors, nick the seed.

2. Place the seeds in a mixture of lightly moistened compost, sand, perlite, or vermiculite in a zip-top bag.

3. Keep the seeds for 23 weeks at 39 F (refrigerator works well).

4. Or keep the seeds warm for about 16 weeks at 68 F and then expose them to 4 to 16 weeks in the fridge.

5. After the cooling process, sow the seeds in a small pot, with moist, well-draining, compost-enriched soil about 1/4 inch to 1/2 deep.

6. Place the pot in a bright window. Ambient room temperatures should not exceed 77 F.

7. Wait for seedlings to appear; germination can take 12 to 15 months.
   

Potting and Repotting

Only keep Cornelian cherry dogwood in a pot during its first few years. The plant needs ample underground space for its roots to develop well. Keep transplanting annually as the plant grows. Refresh its soil with each transplanting.

Overwintering

Protect young plants in pots from frost in winter because there is a risk that the root ball and soil will freeze through the pot, potentially injuring the plant. Move the container against the house or a structure that can protect it from freezing drafts. Consider wrapping the plant in insulation or moving it to an unheated greenhouse or shed during periods of deep freeze or harsh cold snaps.

Mature, well-established plants should overwinter fine outdoors without concern since it's winter hardy down to -30 F (USDA zone 4).

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

When adequately grown in the right conditions, this shrub has few disease or pest issues. Dogwoods are particularly prone to anthracnose disease; however, cornelian cherry dogwoods are more resistant to it than other species.

However, a cornelian cherry dogwood's resistance to pests and disease is diminished if it becomes unhealthy. Stressed cornelian cherry dogwoods are susceptible to borers, leaf miners, gall midges, and scale. Potential disease problems include leaf spots, crown canker, root rot, powdery mildew, and leaf blight.

Also, be aware that birds, squirrels, and other animals will eat the berries.

How to Get Cornelian Cherry Dogwood to Bloom

Cornelian cherry dogwood is a reliable bloomer in late winter or early spring, producing clusters of flowers before the leaves emerge.

Bloom Months

Cornelian cherry dogwood is usually one of the first bloomers, typically flowering in February, March, or April, depending on the climate.

How Long Does Cornelian Cherry Dogwood Bloom?

Cornelian cherry dogwood remains in bloom for about three weeks.

What Do Cornelian Cherry Dogwood Flowers Look and Smell Like?

Cornelian cherry dogwoods produce dense, fuzzy clusters of yellow flowers on bare branches. Each flower is tiny and star-shaped. It doesn't have a discernable scent.

How to Encourage More Blooms

Fertilize in the spring and again in the early summer. Providing ample nutrients is the best way to encourage a great yearly floral show.

Caring for Cornelian Cherry Dogwood After It Blooms

If this plant needs pruning, only prune after the plant has flowered. However, if you prune immediately after flowering, your plant will not bear fruits later in the spring.

Common Problems With Cornelian Cherry Dogwood

Cornelian cherry dogwood is an easy plant to grow. It's resistant to some of the usual diseases that affect dogwood plants.

Browning Leaves

Leaf scorch looks like a disease, but it's really a symptom of underwatering. Water evaporates from leaves during dry, hot, windy conditions in the hottest months. The leaves can dry out if the roots do not have sufficient water to supply the leaves. In a mild case, the leaf edges start to brown. In more severe cases, the entire leaf will wilt and turn brown. To prevent this condition, keep the soil hydrated and consistently moist.

Plant Is Not Fruiting

If a cornelian cherry dogwood isn't fruiting, it could be it's not mature enough, the female flowers are not being pollinated, the plant has insufficient nutrients, water, or light, or the flowering buds were pruned off before fruiting could occur.

Remember that a plant grown from seed may not flower for five years after sowing and may not bear fruit for up to 10 years. Also, cornelian cherry dogwood plants have both male and female flowers, so they should be able to be pollinated; however, if there is a lack of pollinators, hand-pollinate or get a second plant to encourage cross-pollination.

Frequently Asked Questions

How are cornelian cherries used?

Cornelian cherries are not related to cherries. These drupe fruits are called cornels and are used in European cuisine for drinks, syrups, preserves, jams, and sauces. The fruit's large pit makes it difficult to harvest and use in cooking; however, cultivars are being crossbred to yield more fleshy fruit. They can be eaten fresh or dried but are tastiest once turned red and fully ripe.

What do cornelian cherries symbolize?

Cornelian cherries were believed to represent health, stamina, and longevity. It was used as an ancient folk remedy to treat many ailments. Cornelian cherry fruit might have had a symbolic significance in funerary rites in Mesolithic Southeast Europe, with its remnants being discovered in many burial sites.

The word "cornelian" derives from the Latin "cornu," which was the name for all dogwood tree species, which means "horn," referring to the hardness of the wood.

Where do cornelian cherry shrubs grow?

Cornelian cherry dogwood grows in dry deciduous forests and brushlands. They are native to central and southern Europe and western Asia, including Asia Minor, Armenia, and the Caucuses,

Read the original article on The Spruce.