Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty'
Flame-stemmed Dogwood
Overview
Bring a blaze of colour to the darkest months with Cornus 'Winter Beauty'. This hardy, deciduous shrub is grown for its remarkable stems, which glow in shades of buttery yellow, orange and fiery red once the leaves have fallen. On a frosty morning or against a low winter sun, few plants can match it. Easy to grow and undemanding, it's an ideal choice for gardeners who want reliable year-round interest without the fuss.
Seasonal Interest
- Spring and summer: Fresh green foliage and clusters of small, creamy-white flowers in late spring, popular with bees and other pollinators.
- Autumn: Leaves turn warm shades of gold and orange before dropping, with small black berries enjoyed by birds.
- Winter: The star of the show. Bare stems light up the garden from November through to March, deepening in colour as the cold sets in.
Size and Growth
- Height: Approximately 1.5–2 m
- Spread: Approximately 1.5–2 m
- Growth rate: Medium
- Hardiness: Fully hardy across the UK, tolerating hard frosts and exposed sites
Where to Plant
'Winter Beauty' thrives in full sun, which brings out the strongest stem colour, though it will also tolerate partial shade. It is happy in most soil types, including heavy clay and damp ground, making it a great option for pond margins and areas where other shrubs struggle. Plant it where the winter stems can be seen from the house, ideally with a dark evergreen backdrop to make the colours really sing.
Planting Suggestions
- Group three or more together for a bold drift of winter colour
- Combine with snowdrops, winter aconites or hellebores at its feet
- Pair with white-stemmed birch or evergreen shrubs for contrast
- Perfect for mixed borders, wildlife gardens and low-maintenance planting schemes
Care and Pruning
This is a genuinely low-maintenance shrub. Water well in its first year while it establishes, then it will largely look after itself. The brightest colour appears on young stems, so for the best display cut all stems back hard to around 10–15 cm from the ground in late winter or early spring (March is ideal), just before new growth begins. If you'd prefer a larger plant, prune a third of the oldest stems each year instead. Mulch annually with well-rotted compost to keep the soil moist and healthy.
Buying Shrubs from Jacksons Nurseries
At Jacksons Nurseries we sell a variety of shrubs both evergreen and deciduous with a variety of flowering times throughout the year. At certain times of the year our shrubs you buy from us may not look like the images shown on our website when deciduous leaves have fallen, the shrub has finished flowering or has been trimmed back.
Some leaves on evergreen shrubs can be damaged in winter by frost or harsh winds but in spring new leaves will readily replace those damaged. This is quite normal on many evergreen varieties and is preferable to plants grown with excessive protection that show cold shock once planted out and establish less satisfactory initially.
Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.
Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email sales@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.
* Please Note: Shrubs in 20 litre pots and above might require a pallet delivery starting at £79.99 per pallet. Depending on the exact pot size and height it may be possible to get approximately 5 plants per pallet at no extra cost. The maximum height we can dispatch on a pallet is 2.0m, this includes the height of the pallet and pot.
Shrubs are deciduous or evergreen woody plants, and often provide fragrant flowers, berries and foliage. They are good for structural framework, and they can provide a wonderful shelter and food source for wildlife.
Planting and Conditions
Container grown shrubs can be grown at any time of year. It is a little known fact that shrubs planted in the autumn and winter will be easier to look after than those planted in the spring and summer, because they will have time to establish and become hardy in the cooler months.
Plant the shrub at the same depth as it was in its original pot. Planting too deeply can result in root and stem rot.
One of the biggest causes of death in new shrubs is drought stress, so keep it well watered until it’s established.
Make sure you loosen the soil prior to planting. Most shrubs are tolerant of most soil types as long as it is fairly well draining.
Most shrubs will grow happily in containers, but they will be much more demanding on feeding and watering than shrubs in the ground would be. They will also need potting on every couple of years so that they don’t suffocate or become stunted in their pot.
Aftercare and Pruning
Once established, shrubs generally do not require much water. However, at first they need careful, frequent watering and should not be left to dry out.
Shrubs in the ground are generally not demanding and in most cases, annual feeding with general purpose fertilizer will suffice. Shrubs in containers may need more feeding; usually from early spring until late summer.
Shrubs also benefit from mulching in order to supress weeds, conserve moisture and provide vital nutrients. Mulch also greatly improves soil conditions. Shrubs can be mulched in late winter, after fertiliser has been applied, but it can be mulched through autumn to late spring as long as the ground is damp.
All shrubs benefit from dead-heading once spent flowers become apparent. Rhododendrons and Lilac especially benefit from the removal of dead flowers.
Some shrubs may show signs of reverted growth or ‘sporting’. This is where random shoots of different leaves associated with the plant’s parentage begin to appear. Most commonly this is where plants with variegated leaves sprout pure green growths instead of variegated ones.
To control reversion, remove reverted shoots promptly to discourage them. Reverted shoots are usually much more vigorous than the variegated ones, and thus should be completely pruned out and cut back into wood containing variegated foliage.
Potential Issues
Although shrubs are usually very robust garden plants, they can sometimes start to decline with no apparent or obvious reason.
This will start with browning leaves, which could indicate plant stress due to lack of water or waterlogging, an establishment failure or, in the worst case scenario, honey fungus. Another cause of leaf browning is a high salt content in the soil. This could be a natural occurrence, especially if you live near the ocean, or it could be from over fertilisation.
To remedy a high salt content, cut back on fertiliser and step up your watering regime for the next few weeks. If you live by the ocean, this will be harder to remedy—but stepping up your watering will help to wash some of the salt away all the same.
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