Cornus sericea Farba - Red osier dogwood

Cornus sericea (or stolonifera) 'Farba' is a variety of stoloniferous dogwood whose dark green foliage offers a beautiful contrast with its dark red stems. In autumn, the leaves turn flaming shades of purple. It discretely blooms white in summer and then produces pretty little decorative white berries that resemble pearls. Compared to the famous Cornus alba 'Sibirica', it offers healthier foliage and darker red branches. 'Farba' forms a compact, wider-than-tall bush that finds its place in a minimalist decor, a wild garden, or a damp and wooded area.

Cornus sericea belongs to the cornaceae family, just like its Asian cousin Cornus alba, with which it shares many characteristics. Native to eastern North America, from Alaska and Newfoundland to Virginia, this stoloniferous dogwood, also called silky dogwood because of the presence of a downy coating on the undersides of its leaves, is extremely hardy but cannot tolerate heat or dry soils. In the wild, this species, which spreads rapidly through stolons, colonises wet banks and marshy areas.

The 'Farba' cultivar stands out for its variegated foliage and its red wood in winter. The shrub has an upright habit that somewhat widens with age, and will reach an average height of 2m with a spread of 2.50m if not limited in its lateral development. It bears opposite, ovate, lanceolate, 5 to 10cm long, strongly veined, dark green leaves, turning purple in autumn. The branches are dark red all year round. The flowers in flattened white cymes, 3 to 5cm in diameter, are not very visible and give way to white or bluish, decorative berries, quickly eaten by birds.

Cornus sericea 'Farba' is an excellent choice to bring brightness to the garden in winter and ornamentation all year round. It can be planted individually in a small garden, as a background for flower beds, or in large groves with other varieties of stoloniferous colored wood dogwoods as well as with bloodtwig dogwoods or Florida dogwoods, for a superb mix of colours. Its vibrant branches contrast with the dark or bluish foliage of conifers and accompany the spring blooms of azaleas, pieris, and rhododendrons in acidic soil. For a structured and interesting garden all year round, 'Hedgerow's Gold' can be used as a border for an informal hedge, mixed with bamboo, choisya, nandina, or camellia. If the soil in your garden is occasionally waterlogged or poorly drained, this shrub will give you complete satisfaction.