It’s the centerpiece, the elegant Cornus mas, that makes the planting sing. This is the easiest-to-care-for combination I’ve ever accidentally invented and lots less common than, say, rudbeckia ‘Goldstrum’ paired with Russian sage.
I let them grow because each one is just as pretty as the mother plant, now growing in the center of a new curved flower bed in semi shade surrounded by a blue hardy geranium called ‘Rozanne’, a purple-leaved bugleweed, and ‘Autumn Bride’ heuchera, a late-bloomer with velvety, near-chartreuse leaves and white plumelike flowers. I don’t recall buying two twigs, let alone 13, which is how many I have at last count. I purchased my Cornus mas two years ago at the Friends School plant sale on a whim because it was marked down to almost nothing and looked so sad that I couldn’t say no. What I like is that horizontal habit, and the elegant shiny green leaves, and the tree’s seeming immunity to what is now ailing the rest of my garden: slugs, thirst and plain exhaustion. Unless, I guess, it lives at my house.Ĭornus mas (Cornelian cherry dogwood) is a lovely tree with a horizontal branching habit, brilliant forsythia-like flowers in early spring and red berries in fall. You don’t see it around here much because it won’t make it through the winter. Second, I’ve been growing a lot of plants that are hardy only in Zones 4b and Zone 5 (both a and b). It shows the section of our state that runs along the Mississippi River in Zone 4b, which is the warmer of the two Zone 4 bands. So why was I perusing the hardiness map if I’m such a know-it-all about the weather?įirst, I’m always hoping to get a look at the updated version, rumored to exist but as yet not made official and posted online. Exceptions are another feature of our weather these days, which is volatile and extreme. I know there have been exceptions, usually in places like Embarrass or International Falls. Old-timers like me think of that concept as something latter-day wimps came up with to compensate for the decline in record-low temperatures. I remember it from growing up here in the late 1950s and ’60s. When was the last time you experienced cold like that? The map shows us inhabiting USDA Zone 4a, the colder of the Zone 4 bands, with lows in the minus mid-30s. The map, last updated in 1990, showed this Zone 5a plant tolerating temperatures to minus 20, which is as low as temperatures go in a band of the country well south of the Twin Cities. Department of Agriculture zone hardiness map this week to see in which part of the country a certain species of dogwood lives most comfortably. In his 1914 publication, The Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, horticultural rockstar Liberty Hyde Bailey explains that dogwood trees get their common name because a medicinal extract from their leaves was used in England to wash mangy dogs.A gardener doesn’t need to follow the climate change debate to know something’s not right with our weather.This hard wood was valued greatly by the Greeks, and it is said they used Cornelian cherry wood to make javelins and spearheads.The genera name, Cornus, is derived from the Latin word for horn, referring to the very hard wood of the dogwood.To provide some historical context to our Plant of the Month, here are some interesting facts:.Pour into sterile jars and seal (or consume right away to save that trouble). Periodically skim off the foam that comes to the surface of the mixture. Stir in the fruit and simmer for an additional 30 minutes, or until the syrup has thickened.
In a large pot, bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. The jam tastes great on top of a good, crusty bread…just watch out for the pits and make sure the berries are fully ripe when picked. An even tastier way to consume Cornelian cherry fruit is to turn it into a jam. While some people might find them unpalatable, I enjoy eating the berries straight off the tree they remind me of the sweet-tart flavor of cranberries. As much as I enjoy the flowers of Cornus mas, my favorite aspect of the plant is the deeply red drupe-like berries it produces in the summer.This way, its bright yellow color will pop! To best highlight the bright color of Cornus mas flower clusters, I recommend selecting a planting site near a dark-colored background, such as a building or dense conifer.Instead, I’d like to share a few added tidbits about this plant that is currently showing its colors at the Scott Arboretum: Becky Robert, our Member and Visitor Programs Coordinator, wrote an informative article on Cornus masfor our blog last week, so I won’t reinvent the wheel here. March’s pick for Plant of the Month is one of my favorite early blooming trees, Cornus mas, or the Cornelian cherry dogwood.
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