Cornus hedging plants
Cornus plants, commonly known as dogwood, are deciduous hedging shrubs grown for their vibrant, fiery bark colours, providing a dazzling display, especially in winter when the garden may otherwise be drab and dreary. Cornus come in a variety of colours and sizes and boast fantastic ornamental features throughout the year. In spring and summer, they produce beautiful flat heads of creamy-white flowers followed by clusters of violet-black berries, both well-loved by wildlife such as bees, butterflies and birds. As the weather cools in autumn, leaves become crisp, taking on brilliant coppery colours before falling to reveal the stunning bark colour, which remains centre of attention through the winter. Cornus are unfussy, trouble-free and easy to grow even for beginner gardeners and particularly valuable for their ability to thrive in damp conditions on heavy clay where other shrubs commonly fail. Plant them where they will be either back-lit by the winter sun or where the sun will strike their colourful stems for best effect. This RHS award of garden merit winner should be pruned back hard each spring. Remove at least one third of the stems in spring before the buds appear – it grows quickly at 40-60cm per year, so don’t worry about removing too much. Mature, established plants may benefit from being cut right back to 5-10cm above ground level to keep them rejuvenated and will reward you with even more radiant bark in winter.