Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty'
Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty', commonly known as the Winter Beauty dogwood, is a deciduous shrub that transforms winter gardens with its spectacular stem colour display. When most plants have retreated into dormancy, this stunning variety comes into its own, producing vibrant orange-yellow stems that seem to glow in the low winter light. This bare root plant offers excellent value and establishes quickly when planted during the dormant season.
Key Features
This hardy British native cultivar is prized for its multi-seasonal interest, though it truly shines from November through to March. The younger stems display the most intense colouration, ranging from fiery orange to golden yellow, creating a warm beacon in the cold months. In spring and summer, the shrub produces attractive ovate leaves of fresh green, followed by small creamy-white flowers and dark berries that wildlife adore.
Growing Conditions
Winter Beauty dogwood is remarkably unfussy and adaptable to most garden situations. It thrives in full sun to partial shade, though the stem colour develops most intensely in sunny positions. The plant tolerates a wide range of soil types, from clay to sand, and is particularly happy in moist conditions – making it an excellent choice for damp areas of the garden where other shrubs might struggle. It's fully hardy throughout the UK, withstanding temperatures well below freezing.
Planting Your Bare Root
Bare root plants should be planted between November and March whilst dormant. Upon arrival, soak the roots in water for a few hours if they appear dry. Dig a hole twice the width of the root system and deep enough so the previous soil mark on the stem sits level with your garden soil. Mix some organic matter into the backfill soil, firm in well, and water thoroughly. Space plants 1.5 to 2 metres apart if creating a hedge or screen.
Size and Growth
Winter Beauty typically reaches 1.5 to 2.5 metres in height with a similar spread, though it can be kept smaller through regular pruning. It's a vigorous grower, putting on approximately 30 to 60 centimetres per year once established. The naturally bushy, rounded habit makes it suitable for mixed borders, woodland gardens, or as an informal hedge.
Care and Maintenance
This is a low-maintenance shrub that rewards minimal effort with maximum impact. Water regularly during the first growing season to help establish a deep root system. Once settled, it requires little attention beyond annual pruning. To maintain the brightest stem colour, prune hard in early spring (March) by cutting all stems back to within a few centimetres of ground level. This encourages fresh young growth with the most vivid colouration. If you prefer a larger shrub, adopt a rotational pruning system, removing only one-third of the oldest stems each year.
Design Uses
Winter Beauty excels in winter garden schemes, particularly when planted where low sunlight can backlight the colourful stems. It pairs beautifully with other winter-interest plants such as evergreen grasses, hellebores, and snowdrops. Consider planting in groups of three or five for greater impact, or use it to create a vibrant hedge. It's also superb in wildlife gardens, providing nectar for pollinators and berries for birds.
Why Choose Bare Root?
Bare root plants offer several advantages over container-grown specimens. They're more economical, environmentally friendly (no plastic pots), and typically establish more quickly as their roots aren't constrained. The dormant season planting period aligns perfectly with the plant's natural cycle, giving it the best possible start in your garden.
- For protection from pests consider Shrub Shelters.
- Please see our bare root plant guides for more information. We've put together a collect of help and advice articles covering what bare root plants are, why they are a good choice, which plants are available bare root, when and where to plant.
* Deciduous plants supplied bare root during the dormancy period will not have any leaves at this time; top growth will just be brown and twiggy to start with and will come into leaf in the spring. This is perfectly normal. The plants we supply are healthy will an extensive root system. Please see the final picture for an illustration of how your plants will look when they are delivered.
Bare Root is usually dispatched between early November and late March. Exact dates vary year to year depending on the weather. We cannot guarantee availability for a certain date at the beginning or end of the season.
Important Bare Root Care
As soon as you receive your bare root plants place the items upright in a bucket of clean water immediately leaving them for at least 2 hours. Only take plants out as you need them for planting.
Q: When is bare root season?
A: Our bare root season usually runs from November to March but it can depend on the weather conditions, we'd always recommend buying at the end of autumn rather than waiting for spring.
Q: Does the plant size include the roots?
A: No, all bare root plant sizes quoted exclude the roots.
Q: What size plants will I receive?
A: Stock size varies through the season, our 'Plant Size' are give as a guide and you will receive plants somewhere in that range. We are unable to specify exactly how tall the plants will be within that range.
Q: How old will the plants be?
A: Most of our 'Plant Sizes' include the age of the plant, this is shown as a sum e.g. 1+2 which in this case would indicate that the plants are 3 years old. The first number is how long the plant has spent in the seedbed and the second is the number of year it has spent lined out in the field. Where the sum starts with a 0+ this indicates that the plants were grown from a rooted cutting.
Q: Can I get a discount for bulk purchases?
A: We offer a discount banding on bare root plants making them cheaper the more you buy, see the table on each page for details of the price within each band.
Q: Do I need canes?
A: Bamboo canes are perfect for giving young saplings, hedging plants, climbers and other tall shrubs the support they need when they start to establish. Unless you are planting in a completely sheltered spot with very little chance of wind then we would always recommend using a cane for support.
Q: Do I need rabbit guards?
A: Spiral Rabbit Guards are the most popular, low cost tree protection for young saplings, seedlings, transplants and hedging plants from browsing animals such as voles, mice, rabbits and hares. Spiral Rabbit Guards have the ability to grow and expand with the growing tree, providing a sheltered environment for the tree. It's hard to say for certain if you will require the extra protection a rabbit guard provides, if your are aware of a particular pest problem in your planting location then we would recommend using them. Rabbit Guards are not suitable for 'evergreens' please see 'Shrub Shelters' for a suitable evergreen protection method.
Q: What is a shrub/tree shelter?
A: Shrub/Tree Shelters are similar to rabbit guards but are designed for use on evergreens that would sweat and die in rabbit guards. We supply shrub/tree shelters as a kit which includes the shelter, 1 Stake and 2 cable ties, one kit is required per plant.
Q: Do I need shrub/tree shelters?
A: If you are aware of any specific pest problems in your planting area then we would recommend using a shrub/tree shelter to give your young trees or hedging plants that extra protection.