Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ is my plant of the month for January. This deciduous shrub looks best during Winter, once all of its leaves have dropped to reveal those striking, bright red stems.
Value to wildlife
Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ is fantastic for wildlife, throughout Spring clusters of white flowers provide a food source to pollinators, followed by blue-white berries in Autumn which are enjoyed by birds.
History
Plants within the genus Cornus are commonly known as dogwood, they have strong, straight stems which were once used to make butchers skewers. Back then skewers were called ‘dags’ or ‘dogs’, so dogwood translates to ‘skewer wood’.
Specifications
Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ is best grown in full sun, but can tolerate part shade. It copes well in a range of soils from wet clays to well draining loams, but the soil must have an acidic to neutral pH. It makes a striking deciduous hedge or can be grown within a border, growing to around 2.5m x 2.5m.
Image credit: Fiona Drummond
