![]() The tree, from a distance, glowing yellow when most trees and shrubs are in winter’s gray/brown garb. Inflorescence is an ¾” wide umbel carrying 1/6” diameter, sulfur/mustard yellow flowers in supernumerary abundance. The foliage is insect and disease resistance, persisting into October-November in zone 8.įlowers peek through ¼” long, rusty brown, pubescent, rugby ball-shaped buds in January-February, fully open in February-March and long persistent. A selection (‘Morton’) from the Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL, colored pretty red in the Dirr garden. The foliage is lustrous dark green and may develop reasonable red -purple fall color. The winter silhouette is more refined than C. The bright cherry red fruits are rather insipid and have not been domesticated for culinary purposes like those of C. In many characteristics, the species is similar to Cornus mas, Corneliancherry dogwood, except flowers are 7 to 14 days earlier, the fruit matures later (September), the foliage may have brown tufts of pubescence in the lower vein axils, and the bark exfoliates in rich gray, brown and orange. A specimen in a local Athens garden is 18’ by 22’. The Secrest Arboretum, Wooster, OH, reported a 46-year-old tree was 22’ high and 35’ wide. The majority of specimens I cataloged were wider than tall. The species is restrained in habit, 15 to 25’ high and wide. Few trees have the floral persona of Cornus officinalis and, walking the garden on 1-12-21, the flower buds opening, exposing the mustard yellow petals, inspired me to pen this essay. Woody plants offer year-round presence with foliage, flowers, fruits, bark, and architecture/branching patterns. I have always grown tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash and the like but those are spring-summer ephemeral pursuits. ![]() society in 2020 and signs point to robust plant sales in 2021. Gardening provided that to a large segment of U.S. I suspect after the 2020 pandemic, people are looking for signs of hope in the New Year. The Japanese cornel dogwood is a beautiful small tree, the yellow flowers borne on spur-like naked stems months ahead of the foliage, harbingers of Spring’s awakening. Cornus officinalis-Japanese Cornel Dogwood.
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