Cornelian cherry

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; flowering and fruiting are best in sun. Afternoon shade helps in hotter climates.

Water

Water regularly while establishing; once established, water during prolonged drought, especially while fruit is developing.

Soil

Well-drained soil, including clay and chalk; tolerates acidic to alkaline conditions but not prolonged waterlogging.

Height

15-25 ft (4.6-7.6 m)

Spread

15-20 ft (4.6-6.1 m)

Flowers

Small yellow flowers in rounded clusters on bare branches in late winter to early spring.

Foliage

Opposite, oval, dark green leaves with curved veins; autumn colour varies from muted yellow to reddish purple.

Growth

Slow to moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Disease resistant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   7 ft (2 m)

2. After 1 year

   7 ft (2.2 m)

3. After 2 years

   8 ft (2.3 m)

4. After 3 years

   8 ft (2.5 m)

5. After 5 years

   9 ft (2.8 m)

About 26 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Slow

• Water deeply during dry spells for the first two growing seasons.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Feed only if growth is weak or a soil test shows a deficiency; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding.
• For better fruit crops, plant a second, genetically different Cornelian cherry nearby.
• Remove basal shoots if you want a single-trunk tree; retain them for a shrubby habit.

Pruning. Prune lightly just after flowering, removing dead, damaged or crossing branches and any unwanted basal shoots. Avoid routine hard pruning, and remember that removing flowered branches also removes potential fruit.

Pick the fruit in late summer to early autumn, usually August–September in the US, UK and Canada, and February–March in Australia. Ripe fruit is fully coloured (usually deep red), soft and easily detached; pick gently or shake it onto a clean sheet, leaving hard, astringent fruit to ripen. Grafted plants usually produce their first worthwhile crop 2–4 years after planting; seed-grown plants may take 5–10 years.

Late winter

Check moisture around young plants during dry, frost-free weather as flowering begins.

Early spring

After flowering, lightly prune crossing branches and unwanted basal shoots.

Spring

Renew mulch and remove weeds from around the root zone.

Summer

Water young trees deeply during dry spells and support fruit development during prolonged drought.

Late summer to early autumn

Harvest fruits when fully coloured, soft and easily detached; net selectively if birds take the crop.

Autumn

Plant container-grown trees while the soil is moist and workable; delay until spring in severe-winter regions.

• Use as a small specimen tree near a path or window where its early flowers are easy to see.
• Plant in an informal mixed hedge with other flowering and fruiting shrubs.
• Underplant with snowdrops, crocuses and hellebores for a late-winter display.
• Include in an edible landscape or small orchard for tart fruit used in preserves.

Garden styles it suits: Woodland, Wildlife garden, Winter interest, Edible landscape, Native hedgerow and Cottage garden.

Plant it with: Snowdrops, Crocuses, Hellebores, Witch hazel, Serviceberry and Daffodils.

Wildlife: Early flowers provide pollen and nectar for bees and other insects active in mild weather. Birds and small mammals eat the fruits, and dense shrubs provide shelter.

• Poor fruit set: plant a genetically different Cornelian cherry nearby; cold, wet flowering weather can also limit pollination.
• Leaf scorch during drought: water deeply and mulch; provide afternoon shade in hot locations.
• Leaf spots in damp conditions: collect fallen leaves, avoid overhead watering and improve airflow; mild spotting rarely needs treatment.
• Root decline in waterlogged soil: correct drainage or move young plants to a better-drained site.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. The ripe fruit flesh is edible, although tart; remove the hard stones before eating or processing, as they are a choking hazard and should not be chewed or swallowed.

• Japanese cornel dogwood (Cornus officinalis)

  Very similar in flower and fruit; it usually has brown hair tufts in the vein axils beneath the leaves, whereas Cornelian cherry has pale or whitish tufts.

• Forsythia (Forsythia × intermedia)

  Forsythia has larger, four-lobed yellow flowers spaced along arching stems; Cornelian cherry has small flowers packed into rounded clusters and later bears red, stone-containing fruits.

Cornus comes from the Latin for horn, referring to the hard wood, while mas means male, an old distinction used for this dogwood.

Propagation. Sow cleaned seed outdoors and allow for slow, irregular germination, often over more than one season. Softwood cuttings taken in early summer can root under humid conditions; named fruiting selections are usually grafted or budded to preserve their characteristics.

Accepted botanical name

Cornus mas

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Aegean Is., France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Krym and Lebanon-Syria.

Measured

Soil pH 5 to 7.5. Average height 600 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.