12 Dogwoods with decorative wood: reliable choices

Cornus alba or white dogwood: red stems and colourful foliage

Very hardy, tolerant of all soils and even periods of drought once well established, Cornus alba is planted in sun or partial shade. In beds, hedges or groups, these dogwoods will delight with their red stems in winter and with their foliage sometimes variegated or coloured for the rest of the year. These bushes rarely exceed two metres in any direction, depending on variety.

Cornus alba Aurea - White Dogwood

Probably the most beautiful Cornus alba! In addition to its bright red stems in winter, the foliage turns golden yellow in spring, lime green in summer then yellow‑orange punctate with pink and red in autumn. In short, it is magnificent in all seasons and its spring flowering and slightly bluish fruiting that follows only add to its appeal.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 2 m

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Cornus alba Baton Rouge - Red Dogwood

Cornus 'Bâton Rouge' has very bright coral‑red stems. It is a superb, bushy bush that also shows red‑purple foliage in autumn. It excels in informal hedges but is especially striking next to bushes with dark foliage.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 1,75 m

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Cornus alba Gouchaultii - White Dogwood

Cornus alba 'Gouchaultii' is a particularly colourful variety of white dogwood, superb in all seasons. In winter, it reveals its shiny red stems. For the rest of the year it carries lovely variegated foliage of gold and pink. In autumn, the foliage takes on beautiful red tones. This dogwood is ideal for brightening a partly shaded area of the garden.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 2 m

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Cornus alba Ivory Halo - White Dogwood

Cornus alba 'Ivory Halo' is a fairly compact variegated dogwood; at maturity it will not exceed 1.5 metres in height. Other variegated white dogwoods exist (such as 'Elegantissima' for example) but this one is particularly remarkable thanks to its red stems, very decorative in winter, and above all for its green foliage edged with cream‑white that turns orange in autumn.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 1,50 m

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Cornus alba Kesselringii - White Dogwood

Cornus alba 'Kesselringii' is very unusual because its stems, already dark red during the season, take on a very dark purple, almost black, in winter, which contrasts wonderfully with the yellow stems of Cornus sericea, for example. As for foliage, it is purple throughout the growing season before adopting intense red hues in autumn. Dark stems and foliage provide an elegant contrast with cream‑white flowers and berries of a delicate bluish white.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 3 m

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Cornus alba Siberian Pearls - White Dogwood

Cornus alba 'Siberian Pearl' offers, like its relatives, abundant white flowering in spring followed by white fruiting that turns blue in autumn. Its mid‑green foliage in season turns purple from late summer and, when it falls, reveals a sumptuous mahogany‑red wood in winter.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 2 m

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Cornus sanguinea or bloodtwig dogwood: a flamboyant native bush!

Cornus sanguinea grows naturally here. It is therefore very hardy, very resistant to disease and drought and offers a nectariferous flowering as well as black-blue berries enjoyed by birds. It can be grown in sun or partial shade in any soil, even calcareous or poor. Horticulturists have selected over the years ever-more attractive varieties: some with shoots of an astonishing vivid orange colour or others with a more compact habit for modestly sized gardens.

Cornus sanguinea Magic Flame - Common Dogwood

Cornus sanguinea 'Magic Flame' is a variety of Cornus sanguinea with young shoots that 'set the garden alight' in winter, turning from yellow to red and vivid orange at the tips. But foliage is no less striking as it displays a bright yellow-green hue in summer before turning salmon-orange in autumn. This Cornus produces flattened white inflorescences in late spring much appreciated by nectariferous insects.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 2 m

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Cornus sanguinea ‘Magic Flame’ is a variety of Cornus sanguinea with young shoots that ‘set the garden alight’ in winter, turning from yellow to red and vivid orange at the tips. But foliage is no less striking as it displays a bright yellow-green hue in summer before turning salmon-orange in autumn. This Cornus produces flattened white inflorescences in late spring much appreciated by nectariferous insects.

Cornus sanguinea Annys Winter Orange - Common Dogwood

Cornus sanguinea 'Anny's Winter Orange' displays soft green foliage until late summer before colouring orange with a silvery tinge in autumn. When leaves fall, yellow shoots are revealed at the base, gradually turning vivid red via orange. This is a medium-growth Cornus not exceeding two metres in height.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 2 m

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Cornus sericea or silky dogwood: yellow and orange for moist soil

Cornus sericea or silky dogwood, formerly called Cornus stolonifera, are dogwoods slightly smaller than Cornus alba and Cornus sanguinea but they tend to sucker a little without ever being invasive. They enjoy gentle sun or rather partial shade and any fresh to moist soil, even truly marshy. These dogwoods are ideal in groups at the edge of a water feature for the larger, more colourful forms, but also as a small compact hedge along a path for the smaller ones.

Cornus stolonifera Flaviramea - Stoloniferous Dogwood

Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea' is a firm favourite and it's easy to see why. No other bush has winter stems as bright yellow as this one. Ideal in groups around a pond or in front of larger trees, this dogwood is as hardy and maintenance-free as its companions.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 2 m

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Cornus sericea White Gold - Stoloniferous Dogwood

Basically, Cornus sericea 'White Gold' is the same bush as 'Flaviramea' but... better. What sets it apart is its green-grey foliage marginate with creamy-white, making it prized all year round.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 1,50 m

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Cornus sericea Cardinal - Stoloniferous Dogwood

Cornus sericea 'Cardinal' astonishes with its pale green foliage that turns bright red in autumn, but above all for its stems. These display a soft orange tint throughout the growing season, then redden increasingly into mid-winter. Probably one of most beautiful silky dogwoods to grow in gardens.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 2,50 m

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Cornus stolonifera Kelseyi - Stoloniferous Dogwood

Cornus sericea 'Kelsey' is a very small creeping dogwood not exceeding 75 cm in height for one metre in width. It has green foliage that turns orange in autumn and, as leaves fall, reveals dark red stems. This small dogwood is ideal for stabilising a bank or creating pretty bed edges.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 75 cm

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But... what about the others?

Hard to choose only 12 varieties from the abundance of beautiful dogwoods with coloured wood. We invite you to discover them on our site or from specialist nurseries. They are all worth adopting!

Discover all our decorative dogwoods with coloured wood in our online nursery.

Let’s not forget the other species of shrubby dogwoods with coloured stems! Some are not yet readily available on the market, but it’s probably only a matter of time. For example, Cornus pumila, with a very dense habit and not exceeding one metre in any direction, or Cornus racemosa, which is somewhat similar to our Cornus sanguinea but whose foliage has a greyish underside before reddening in autumn. In short, keep an eye out for new introductions!

Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’, Cornus florida ‘Firebird’