Cornelian Cherry: Elegant addition to woodland garden
Consider replacing Forsythia with Cornus Mas or Spicebush for spring colour
It’s hard to imagine why homeowners choose to grow a Forsythia bush when a Cornelian-Cherry dogwood (Cornus Mas) is a much better choice in every way, shape and form.
In other words, when it comes to shape and form, Forsythias fall short in every way.
Imagine a small rounded tree with horizontal branches sporting elegant yellow bunches of flowers that eventually give way to bright red fruit or drupes. Now, compare that to a scraggly green bush that needs constant pruning, which is all homeowners are really left with after the forsythia blooms in early spring.
There is no competition.
While the over-used Forsythia has a straggly, vase shape that is not particularly pleasant after its brief early spring blooming period, for some reason it continues to dominate the suburban landscape over the inherent beauty of the Cornelian Cherry’s early-spring clusters of yellow flowers.
Right about the same time as the forsythias are blooming, the bare branches of the Cornelian Cherry (Cornus Mas) are covered with delicate yellow blooms giving the already elegant dogwood an even more beautiful look in the woodland landscape.
Native Spicebush is an even better replacement for Forsythia
An even better choice than Cornus Mas to replace forsythia is our native Spicebush – often referred to as the “Forsythia of the wilds.” Not only is it covered with soft umbel-like clusters of yellow flowers in early spring like Cornus Mas, Spicebush is an excellent plant for native wildlife, including pollinators and native mammals.
The flowers are followed by aromatic glossy red fruit, and its leaves turn a colourful golden yellow to light up our gardens and lowland woods where it likes to grow in the wild. It is a host plant for both the Spicebush swallowtail and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.
It grows to between six and twelve feet tall in sun, part shade and full shade making it the perfect under story addition to our woodland. It is not particular about soil feeling at home in dry, moist or wet soil.
The flowers of the Cornus Mas are quite small (5-10 mm in diameter) with four yellow petals, that are produced in clusters of 10-25.
For more information and excellent photos of more mature specimens, check out the Seattle Japanese Garden website.
Be sure to check out my earlier post on Six Dogwoods for the Woodland Garden.
More of my posts on Dogwoods
For more information on Dogwoods, please check out my other posts listed here:
Dogwoods: Find the perfect one for your yard
Flowering Dogwood: Queen of the Woodland garden
Cornus Kousa: Impressive non-native for the woodland garden
The variegated Cornus Mas stands out among the sea of ferns with its brighter foliage that helps it look like its almost in flower all summer long.
Maybe homeowners are unaware of the Cornelian Cherry, or, maybe, the additional cost of the dogwood is too much compared to the inexpensive forsythia shrub.
Trust me, however, if you are looking to take your woodland garden to another level, while still maintaining that early spring shot of bright, cheery yellow in the landscape, the Cornelian Cherry is a much better choice over the old-fashioned forsythia.
To be fair, forsythias are classed as a shrub, whereas the Cornelian Cherry falls into the category of a small tree.
Still, I would think the two plants serve much the same purpose in most landscapes – to add early spring colour in an otherwise drab garden.
The competition ends quickly when, after the forsythia stops blooming and the homeowner is left with nothing but a scraggly green bush.
In the meantime, the Cornelian Cherry’s flowers slowly turn to bright red berries throughout the summer months. Add to that the fact that these red berries are spread along the elegant, horizontal branches of the small dogwood tree.
And, if that is not enough, our variagated Cornus Mas grows up through our massive ostrich ferns brightening the lightly shaded corner of our garden.
The delicate branches of the Cornus Mas rise above the tall ostrich ferns in early summer.
When does Cornelian Cherry flower?
In warmer areas, the Cornelian Cherry can bloom as early as February, but in colder climates (zones 5-6) you can expect yellow blooms in late March or more likely into April and May.
Where does Cornelian Cherry grow?
Growing in zones 5-8, in full sun to partial shade, Cornus Mas is native to Southern Europe and Southwestern Asia.
Can you eat the cherries?
The edible fruits or drupes (fleshy fruits, with a single hard stone, like cherries) are red berries that ripen in mid- to late summer, but are mostly hidden by the foliage. The fruit is edible, olive-shaped and about ½ inch long, they have relatively large stones when ripe and often described as a mix of cranberry and sour cherry. It is primarily used for making jam but also has a reputation in some parts of the world as a fruit used for distilling vodka.
Do birds eat the fruit?
Birds and mammals are also attracted to the bright red fruit that is very tart, but attractive to birds and squirrels as it ripens and falls to the ground.
How to propagate Cornelian Cherries?
Cornelian Cherries are easily propagated from cuttings, but can also be grown from seed.
Are there cultivars of the Cornelian Cherry/Cornus Mas
There are at least three different cultivar available including:
• Aurea that has yellow leaves and flowers with red fruit in late summer.
• Golden Glory which is grown for its abundance of yellow flowers, followed by shiny red berries.
• Variegata grown for its variegated leaves that help light up shady areas of the garden. It also sports the glossy red fruit in late summer.
