Cornus stolonifera Kelseyi - Stoloniferous Dogwood

The Cornus sericea 'Kelseyi' is a type of creeping dogwood that grows low to the ground and forms a compact and branching habit, making it an excellent ground cover. It has deciduous foliage that is light green and vibrant, and in the autumn, it displays beautiful colors. In the winter, its dark red branches are clearly visible. This dogwood is very hardy and can colonize the soil easily, which makes it ideal for covering large slopes and creating borders.

The Creeping Dogwood, also known as Silky Dogwood, is a shrub with creeping roots that originated in North America, specifically the northeastern United States and Canada. This plant is extremely hardy and is capable of spreading quickly thanks to its branches which can root easily upon contact with the ground. It thrives in acidic soils and is very resistant to cold, but doesn't do well in drought conditions. There is a dwarf cultivar of this species known as 'Kelseyi' (also called 'Kelsey's Dwarf'). All dogwoods belong to the Cornaceae family.

The Cornus sericea 'Kelseyi' is a low and dense bush that grows up to 50 to 75 cm (29.5 in) in height and has a width of 1 m (3 in 4 ft) to 1.50 m (4 in 11 ft). It has opposite, ovate, and lanceolate leaves that measure 5 to 10 cm (3.9 in) in length. The leaves are light green in spring, slightly darken in summer, and turn yellow-orange or red in autumn. The young branches start as bright yellow and gradually turn brown at the base, while their tips become increasingly dark red. The flat cyme flowers are pale yellowish-white, and they measure 3 to 5 cm in diameter, but they are not very visible. After pollination, the flowers give way to uninteresting white berries.

The Cornus sericea 'Kelseyi' can be planted in large borders, along pathways to break up large landscape areas, or at the back of perennial beds. It can also be used at the front of a mixed hedge with small bushes such as pieris, nandina or boxleaf honeysuckle. It warms up the dark green evergreen foliage with its red branches and accompanies the spring flowering of azaleas and other rhododendrons in acidic and well-drained soil. If the soil in your garden is occasionally waterlogged or poorly drained, this shrub is ideal, just like the dwarf guelder rose or the Chionanthus.