Cornus sanguinea Winter Beauty - Common Dogwood

The Cornus sanguinea Winter Beauty is a variety of dogwood that is also known as 'Fluo' Dogwood, due to the shiny appearance and almost fluorescent winter colouration of its young stems, ranging from yellow to orange and red. Its autumn foliage is another asset, in yellow to yellow-orange, sometimes slightly tinged with silver. This bush produces white, flat inflorescences in late spring or early summer, which are quite discreet but highly appreciated by pollinating insects. The red-stemmed dogwood and its varieties are sensational bushes that thrive in any type of soil that is not too dry, and make remarkable borders in front of taller shrubs. Invite them into your garden!

Cornus sanguinea, from the dogwood family, is a deciduous shrub. It is native to much of Europe and eastern Asia. Very common and ornamental, it has long attracted the attention of horticulturists who have selected varieties with more colourful young branches than those of the typical species. The recently obtained cultivar 'Winter Beauty' is one of the most beautiful representatives of this dogwood.

The fast-growing Cornus Winter Beauty has an upright and spreading habit, taller than wide. At maturity, it will reach an average height of 2.50m (8ft) and a spread of 1.50m (4ft) if not regularly pruned near the ground. When regularly pruned, it will not exceed 1.50m (4ft) to 1.80m (5ft) in height. This pruning promotes the development of young branches, which are much more colourful than the older stems. In 'Winter Beauty', the glossy young wood displays an exceptionally vivid colour, ranging from yellow to fluorescent red and orange. The foliage consists of entire, elliptical to ovate leaves with pointed tips, of a light green colour in summer. They take on beautiful yellow, orange, and copper tones at the end of the season. The flowering occurs in May-June. The tiny, slightly fragrant white flowers are gathered in flat-topped corymbs at the tips of the young shoots. After pollination they give way to clusters of small round berries, initially green, then red, turning dark purple in summer. They are loved by birds, who spread the seeds. 

Truly undemanding in terms of soil type and exposure, the Winter Beauty Dogwood is easy to maintain, very undemanding, and extremely decorative in winter. It can be planted as a solitary specimen in the centre of a perennial bed, in a mixed hedge, or to form large, spectacular borders in front of taller shrubs. Its autumn colours blend beautifully with the flowering of asters, and its coloured wood enlivens the foliage of dark green or blue conifers in winter. The Dogwood gets along well with climbing plants that will provide it with a lovely summer flowering, but allow it to fully express itself in winter.