Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea'
golden twig dogwood
This shrub is deciduous so it will lose all its leaves in autumn, then fresh new foliage appears again each spring.
- Position: full sun to part shade
- Soil: any moderately fertile, reliably moist soil
- Rate of growth: fast-growing
- Flowering period: May to June
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Clusters of white flowers in May and June and oval, dark green leaves, which redden in autumn and fall to reveal bright, yellow-olive winter stems. The stems of this dogwood look stunning planted alongside salmon-pink and red-stemmed varieties. An excellent specimen plant for sunny, moist areas of the garden. It's particularly effective near water. - Garden care: In March cut the stems back hard to within 5-8cm from the ground and apply a generous 5-7cm mulch of well-rotted garden compost or horse manure around the base of the plant. Where border space is limited restrict the spread of the plant by removing one in four of the stems each year.