Cornus plants
Cornus plants, AKA dogwood, are deciduous shrubs that come in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes. Some are best known for their eye-catching, colourful stems that are perfect for adding colour and interest to the garden during the winter. Others sport beautiful, large tapered flower bracts that are perfect for attracting pollinators into the garden. All are easy to grow and some bear variegated foliage - the only rule to remember is that they must be hard pruned each spring. Shrubby dogwoods (grown for their colourful bark) are unfussy about soil conditions and are particularly valuable for their ability to thrive in damp conditions on heavy clay soils 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. Flowering dogwoods such as Cornus Kousa on the other hand prefer a fertile, well drained soil and will reward you with their fabulous spring flowers.