Cornus sericea Kelseys Dwarf - Stoloniferous Dogwood

Cornus sericea (or stolonifera) 'Kelsey's Dwarf' is a variety of creeping dogwood with small growth, interesting for its spreading habit, dense ground cover, and young stems of acid yellow-green colour with red tips, bright in winter. The bush blooms white in summer, quite inconspicuously, then produces pretty small white decorative berries that resemble pearls. Its foliage takes on beautiful golden and orange tones in autumn. It has its place in a minimalist setting, a wild garden, or a damp and wooded area.

Cornus sericea 'Kelsey's Dwarf' belongs to the dogwood family. Its wild ancestor is native to eastern North America, from Alaska and Newfoundland to Virginia. It is also called silky dogwood because of the presence of a downy covering on the undersides of its leaves. It is a plant with unyielding hardiness, but it cannot tolerate heat or dry soils. In nature, this species, which spreads rapidly through stolons, colonizes moist riverbanks and marshy areas.

The cultivar 'Kelsey's Dwarf' stands out for its compact and prostrate habit, its young wood stained with yellow and red, and its reduced growth. The bush reaches about 75 cm (29.5 in) in height and 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) in spread if not limited in lateral growth. It bears opposite, ovate, lanceolate leaves, 5 to 10 cm (2 to 3.9 in) long, strongly veined and fairly light green. They turn bright yellow and orange in autumn before falling. The branches are initially creeping, then upright, easily rooting upon contact with the ground. When young, they are yellow-green with red tips. The flowers are small, insignificant, flat white cymes, 3 to 5 cm (1.2 to 2 in) in diameter followed by white or bluish, decorative berries which quickly disappear due to birds' appetites.

The 'Kelsey's Dwarf' Cornus works well planted along a path in a small garden, on a slope, or at the base of trees in large groves. It pairs perfectly with other creeping dogwoods like 'Flaviramea', 'Kelsey Gold', 'Silver and Gold', red dogwoods, or Florida dogwoods for a mix of colours. It brightens up the dark green or bluish evergreen foliage of conifers and accompanies the spring flowering of azaleas, pieris, and rhododendrons in acidic soil. Use it as a border in a mixed hedge with bamboo, choisya, nandina, or camellia, for example. It is widely used to cover large slopes. If your garden soil is occasionally waterlogged or poorly drained, this bush will give you complete satisfaction, just like guelder roses, bald cypress, or fringe trees.