Cornus mas

or Cornelian cherry

The common name of this cornus I found rather confusing until I learnt that Cornel is another name for dogwood, and I am guessing that the cherry part of the name refers to the gorgeous glossy red, edible fruits it bears in the summer.

Native to Southern Europe and Turkey, Cornus mas has been naturalised here for several hundred years, and certainly arrived long before Hamamelis were introduced. Despite this, it is not so commonly grown as are the ornamental dogwoods with their colourful stems, but is nonetheless hugely valuable at this time of the year and a great early source of forage for bees.

It may not be a first choice for a small garden; however, one of our neighbours very successfully grew their Cornelian cherry as a single stemmed, almost topiarised small tree (hard pruned every few yearsto keep its size in check*) and it was highly effective. Cornus mas is slow growing and it flowers on the naked stems of one year old wood, so you may miss out on flowers the first year after pruning. For larger, more natural plots a small group growing as multi-stemmed bushes on a boundary or woodland edge would be a winner. The message here is – they are tough and very adaptable.

The small clusters of delicate, bright yellow flowers open in late winter, even on young plants. To my cost I planted ours in the wrong place – too dry and not enough sun! They do best in damp (not waterlogged) soil but as they age they become more tolerant of drier conditions. Planted against a backdrop of evergreens, the yellow haze of flowers would be displayed to perfection. The aforementioned berries are too sharp for us humans to eat as fresh fruit (they make delicious jam apparently) but the birds go mad for them. Good autumn colour is yet another added bonus!  

For those that live close enough to visit, there is a lovely specimen at The Manor, Hemingford Grey, in Cambridgeshire, which is where I took the photo above.

* not every year as you might the others

To learn more about Cornus mas, do watch this delightful short video made by head gardener at Lowther Castle, Andrea Brunsendorf.

NB Louise has published a beautifully produced book of her plant profiles – A Plant for Each Week of the Year. It costs £9.99 and is for sale in our online shop here.

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