Cornus alba

Cornus alba, or white dogwood, is perfectly hardy and tolerant of even dry and limestone soils. It forms a large deciduous bushy shrub, wider than it is tall, bearing large green leaves that turn bright orange-red in autumn before falling, contrasting with its clusters of milky blue fruits. Its numerous upright branches with intense red bark stand out beautifully against dull winter backgrounds and represent its main ornamental asset. With exceptional vigour and rapid growth, it is the ideal shrub for creating free hedges or a background for flower beds easily, while keeping the garden aesthetically pleasing in the late season. Plant in groups, in full sun or partial shade, preferably in all types of soil. A brighter exposure intensifies the autumn foliage colouring.

Cornus alba belongs to the Cornaceae family. It is native to Siberia, the banks of the Amur River, and the moist deciduous and coniferous forests found in Russia and Manchuria. It always grows near water, under harsh and contrasting climates that are proof of its hardiness. This deciduous shrub has a bushy, dense habit, slightly wider than it is tall. It is a ramified shrub, with a thicket-like appearance, reaching an average height of 1.5 m (4.9 ft), with a spread of 2 m (6.6 ft). Its growth is rapid. Its branches are shiny and blood-red, both when young and older, and they do not become bare at the base. The deciduous foliage emerges green in spring and ends up red-orange before leaf drop. The leaves are entire, clearly veined and undulate, measuring about 10 cm (3.9 in) in length. Its flowering from late May to late July is not its main asset and is rather subtle, in the form of small white-yellowish flowers arranged in cymes. The flowers are attractive to bees. It is followed by fruiting with creamy white berries containing oily seeds, which turn bluish when ripe. The lower branches produce shoots or root in the ground, without the shrub becoming invasive.

No matter the size and style of the garden, there will always be a dogwood to provide a beautiful decoration. The white dogwood offers a spectacle from autumn to winter, and its relatively modest size allows it to be included in a mixed hedge of medium height or to form a beautiful background for perennial or shrub beds. It can also be planted on the edge of woodland to create a transition with the countryside. Plant alongside Helianthus, Heliopsis or daylilies to create a colourful scene. As it is a shrub that thrives near water, it can be planted, along with Cornus stolonifera 'Faviramea' with yellow bark, behind a foreground of astilbes, not far from a pond.