Cornus alba Cream Cracker - White Dogwood

Cornus alba 'Cream Cracker', a selection of white dogwood, beautiful as a rainbow. A small tree or upright and compact shrub, with dark green foliage variegated with gold when young, it becomes completely cream and then turns reddish-orange in autumn. It reveals its surprising, shiny purple-red branches in winter. Its white flowers, slightly tinged with yellow, are followed by white fruits tinged with blue. It is a vigorous and hardy shrub and versatile, with a well-branched base despite the years. Ideal for creating an elegant screen, in ordinary soil and full sun.

Cornus alba belongs to the Cornaceae family. White dogwood is native to Siberia, where it is found from the banks of the Amur River in Russia to the moist deciduous and coniferous forests of Manchuria. It is always found near watercourses, under harsh and contrasting climates that prove its robustness. The 'Cream Cracker' selection has an upright, compact, bushy habit, taller than it is wide. It is a well-branched shrub, resembling a thicket, which will reach a height of 2 m (6 ft 7 in), with a spread of 2 m (6 ft 7 in). Its growth is quite rapid. Its shiny red branches, both when young and older, beautifully decorate often grey beds in winter. It also has the advantage of not becoming bare at the base. The deciduous foliage emerges dark green, edged with yellow, in spring, before turning cream, sometimes silver, and finally purple-orange before the leaves drop. Its flowering, which is quite discreet, is not its main asset, and takes the form of small white-yellowish flowers arranged in 4 cm (1.6 in) wide cymes, with nectar. It is then followed by fruiting with creamy white berries containing oily seeds, which turn bluish when ripe. The lower branches form suckers, or root in the soil, without the plant becoming invasive.

Whatever the size and style of the garden, there will always be a dogwood to ensure beautiful decor. 'Cream Cracker' white dogwood provides an ongoing show throughout the year. Its fairly large size makes it suitable for the background of large beds, for planting in hedgerows, or even on the edge of woodlands to create a transition with the countryside. Combining with Helianthus, Heliopsis, or daylilies will create a very colourful scene. As it is a shrub that likes to be near water, it can be planted, with Cornus stolonifera Flaviramea with yellow bark, behind a foreground of astilbes, not far from a pond.