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January 31, 2015
CAROL KLEIN
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GLORIOUS CORNUS!
Grow this versatile shrub for early fowers
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9
to try in your summer pots
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Plant of the week FACTFILE
CORNUS MAS
Large shrub or small tree Sun or light shade Hardy Any soil Height: up to 5m (16ft) Flowers: February
Glorious
cornus! This versatile small tree is the perfect combination of edible and ornamental
GARDEN WRITER
provide both. Once grown in monastery gardens, they arrived in Britain in the 16th century and by the 18th century were common garden trees. Today they are not as familiar as they should be, especially considering those ornamental February blossoms, guaranteed to make an impact when most of the garden is still in hibernation. The spidery golden flowers appear in rounded clusters that burst from bare winter stems. They’re followed in late summer by edible berries. While winter flowers and autumn fruit are undoubtedly this plant’s crowning glories, mature trees also have attractive flaking bark.
4 Garden News / January 31 2015
The leaves are usually a satiny mid to dark green, appearing in spring after the flowers, and often turn mahogany red in autumn. For a year-round showstopper, choose a cornus with interesting foliage, such as ‘Variegata’ with variegated grey-green and cream leaves, or bright yellow ‘Aurea’. Cornus mas ‘Aureoelegantissima’ is particularly colourful, with yellow or pink tinted variegation. Although cornus fruit best in full sun, position golden-leaved varieties out of strong sunshine to avoid scorching the foliage. If you are keen to use the berries, grow two different varieties to be sure of pollination. And be aware that birds also enjoy the fruit! Choose a yellow-fruited cornus such as Cornus mas ‘Flava’ to deter them. These cornus can be grown as freestanding shrubs or small trees, or as a flowering hedge. Combine with a spring flowering shrub such as forsythia or a winter flowering cherry for a spectacular winter to spring display.
“These cornus are lovely shrubs, eventually growing into very small trees,” says Robert Vernon of tree and shrub specialists Edible cherry-like fruit ripen as leaves develop their autumn colour Bluebell Arboretum and Nursery. “We have a small collection growing here in our gardens in Derbyshire, where they’ve survived cold down to -20C (-4F). develop and build up the They’ll grow in some shade, but necessary number of branches flower much better in full sun.” to give a good flower display. “Although they do well in our “Seed-grown Cornus mas is clay soil and put up with a certain cheaper and pretty enough, but amount of wet, it’s not a good idea plants are variable from seed, so to plant a young specimen in some flower better than others. sodden or waterlogged ground, We prefer the named clones as as it may fail. Much better to put they are more reliable and have in a spot with decent drainage.” specific traits, such as ‘Golden “It’s worth mentioning that Glory’, which has the best flowers Cornus mas are not hugely of all the Cornus mas we do and vigorous and while lovely, they ‘Jolico’, which flowers well but is are better for patient gardeners mainly grown for its crop of large, willing to wait a year or two to tasty red fruit.”
Shu erstock
Pam Richardson
YOU MAY NOT immediately associate dogwoods with fruit and flowers, but Cornelian cherries, Cornus mas and Cornus officinalis,
Left: Spidery flowers set branches alight in late winter and early spring
Growing cornus for fruit Cornus mas berries can be used fresh, dried or preserved as jam. They have a sweet-sour taste and contain twice the vitamin C of oranges. Breeding in Eastern Europe has produced varieties with sweeter, larger fruit, and here in the UK, the Agroforestry Research Trust in Devon has a selection of cornus chosen especially for their cropping ability. “Mature trees can yield 11kg (24lb) of fruit on average,” says Martin Crawford, the Trust’s Director. “You can get double this from be er selections and individual trees can produce much more
too. Yields are increased by growing more than one variety to aid cross-pollination. “Grafted varieties usually start fruiting within one to two years of planting. Seedlings can take three to five years or more before flowering, and six to 10 before fruiting. “It is usual for no fruits to set for the first few years of flowering because the flowers often start off being male only, only gradually developing male and female parts. Fruits from a single tree ripen over a long harvest period, generally from September. “The simplest way to harvest is to periodically give the branches a gentle shake once the fruit has coloured, and collect the fallen fruits from the ground. Ripe fruits hang
well on the tree, becoming more concentrated in fl avour and sweetness. Keep them at room temperature for a day or two to sweeten further. “Fruits can vary from oblong to cylindrical and pear shaped, in colours from cream, yellow and orange to bright and dark red and almost black. Flavour varies between them and varieties with yellow fruits are less a ractive to birds. “Cornus mas ‘Yellow’ has small golden yellow berries with a pineapple taste. ‘Jolico’ produces large fruits, up to Shu erstock
Martin Crawford Agroforestry Research Trust, Devon
Long-lived cornus produce large yields of fruit for many years
three times the size of the wild ones, from an early age, and it’s one of the last varieties to ripen. ‘Schönbrunner Gourmet Dirndl’ has large, sweet, pear-shaped fruit while ‘Gourmet’ has bright red fruits with a high sugar content.”
Four great varieties to try Garden World Images Bluebell Arboretum and Nursery
Bluebell Arboretum and Nursery
GAP Photos
Cornus ‘Golden Glory’
Cornus mas ‘Aurea’
Very hardy and the best variety for flowers, plus a good crop of berries after a hot summer.
Young leaves are a beautiful yellow-gold when they emerge in spring, turning green as they age.
Underplant with early bulbs for a beautiful winter scene
Suppliers Bluebell Arboretum and Nursery
Bluebell Arboretum and Nursery
● Bluebell Arboretum and Nursery, tel: 01530 413700; www.bluebellnursery.com ● Cool Temperate, tel: 0115 916 2673; www.cooltemperate.co.uk ● Agroforestry Research Trust, mail@agroforestry; www.agroforestry.co.uk
Cornus mas ‘Variegata’
Cornus mas ‘Jolico’
Much slower growing than the others with a ractive creamy-white variegation.
Bears sweet, very large berries but does need a different Cornus mas to cross-pollinate.
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January 31 2015 / Garden News 5
Alamy
ories this week The big gardeningEditst ge ed by IAN HODGSON Editor-at-lar
It’s hoped the garden will feature orange poppies to Lesotho
Chelsea garden to spotlight HIV Ma hew Keightley to design a garden reflecting the work of Prince Harry’s charity Sentebale aculeatum, grown from seed, provided they germinate in time to flower for the show, which opens to the public on May 20! It will also contain hurdle fencing made from sweet chestnut. ‘Hope in Vulnerability’ is being designed by 30-year-old Matthew Keightley, who scooped the sought-after People’s Choice Award at Chelsea last year for his ‘Hope on the Horizon’ garden. Matthew has had input from both Prince Harry and Prince Charles on the concept for the garden and visited Lesotho last year, saying it ‘directly influenced my approach to the design of the garden’.
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A
GARDEN INSPIRED by a children’s centre in Africa is set to take centre stage at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show – and it comes with royal approval! Named ‘Hope in Vulnerability’, the garden will raise awareness of the work carried out by Sentebale, a charity set up by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to provide education and healthcare for children affected by HIV/AIDS. Set to be a colourful reflection of the country of Lesotho, where the charity is opening a new children’s centre later this year, the garden will feature up to 100 native Lesotho poppies, Papaver
28 Garden News / January 31 2015
Helen Thomas
The design will evoke the landscape in Lesotho
Rex Features
Garden designer Ma hew Keightley
HOW THE
experts garden Have a go at growing a cactus dahlia Dave Gillam DAHLIAS ARE DIVIDED into classifications of formation and then by size under normal growing conditions. This week I’m focusing on spiky-petalled cactus and semi-cactus varieties. Now’s the time to order new stock, so take your pick from these excellent varieties. They’re further divided into groups according to their flower size.
Small ‘Kiwi Gloria’
Miniatures (up to 10cm/4in) I’d recommend any introductions from the late Tom McLelland. Extremely deep red ‘Weston Pirate’ with its sharp form and red and yellow bi-coloured ‘Weston Spanish Dancer’ will fill your garden with joy all season. Miniatures are best grown by double stopping – removing the growing tips twice before leaving them to bloom, which encourages multiple flowering stems. A mid-July ground application of sulphate of potash helps strengthen the stems.
Smalls (10-15cm/4-6in) Pale pink and white blended ‘Kiwi Gloria’ is the stand-out small cactus. When first available, it could be grown anywhere in the country with seven to eight flowers per plant but in more recent years it performs better in the north. For southern growers, ‘Cherwell Goldcrest’ and its sport ‘Oakwood Goldcrest’ are consistent performers when restricted to five to seven flowers. Low growing (90cm/3ft), with lovely stiff stems, they make an excellent addition to any border.
Mediums (15-20cm/6-8in) For years, the Essex-raised semi-cactus ‘Eastwood Moonlight’ and its lighter coloured sports performed at top level all over the country, but now quality ‘Moonlights’ are nearly always produced from growers in Northern locations.
● Ensure your tubers are safe from frost and show no signs of ro ing or drying out ● If you haven’t already done so, dig over the ground ready for planting
Large ‘Kenora Challenger’
Luckily for Southerners, Les Jackson of Carlisle raised ‘Hillcrest Candy’ with fine cerise-pink, white-centred, weather-resilient flowers on strong, 1.5m (5ft) tall stems, which performs well in borders and on the show bench. Restrict to eight flowering stems for blooms 17.5-20cm (7-8in) across, while for garden colour, 10-12 stems give a fine display.
Large (20-25cm/8-10in) One of the best new introductions is ‘Kenora Challenger’ – a crisp, white large semi-cactus that easily achieves 25cm (10in) flowers when grown four per plant (five in the north). With a flowering height of 90-120cm (3-4ft), it also commands attention in a border. For garden effect, allow six to eight flowering stems for a bold display of 15-20cm (6-8in) flowers right through the summer. Strong, taller-growing ‘Narrow’s Tricia’ produces similar-sized, striking primroseyellow blooms.
Giants (25-30cm/10-12in) One of the most successful recent giant semi-cactus introductions is low-growing, Essex-raised ‘Janal Amy’, with deep yellow flowers 28-30cm (11-12in) across when restricted to three per plant. Removing the
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Miniature ‘Weston Pirate’
Medium ‘Hillcrest Candy’
Photos: Dave Gillam
Jobs to do now
Giant ‘Pink Jupiter’
main (terminal) bud and allowing one wing bud on either side to flower averts its tendency to produce a short footstalk. For growers in the north of the UK, the ‘Jupiter’ family has long reigned supreme. Protect both giants and large semi-cactus from wet and windy spells.
January 31 2015 / Garden News 35