Cornus sericea Budds Yellow - Stoloniferous Dogwood

Cornus sericea (or stolonifera) 'Budd's Yellow' is a variety of stoloniferous dogwood particularly cheerful and bright in winter, and resistant to diseases. Its young stems, ranging from acid yellow-green to bright yellow, devoid of leaves, gather in a large bundle that takes on golden reflections under the very yellow and very low light of sunny days. A fast-growing bush, spreading through suckers, it also forms large, richly coloured masses in autumn. Its small white-blue berries that follow its rather discreet spring flowering are also decorative. Superb in isolation or mixed with other varieties with colored wood, this bush has its place in a minimalist setting, a wild garden, or a damp and wooded area.

Cornus sericea belongs to the dogwood family, just like its Asian cousin Cornus alba, with which it shares many characteristics. Native to eastern North America, from Alaska and Newfoundland to Virginia, this stoloniferous dogwood, also called silky dogwood because of the presence of a down on the underside of its leaves, is extremely hardy but cannot tolerate heat or dry soils. In nature, this species, which spreads rapidly through stolons, colonizes wet banks and marshy areas.

The 'Budd's Yellow' cultivar stands out for its good resistance to diseases that sometimes affect this species, but also for the bright yellow colour that its wood takes on in winter. The bush has a dense and spreading bushy habit and reaches an average height of 2m (7ft) with a spread of 3 to 4m (10 to 13ft) if not limited in its lateral development. It bears opposite, ovate, lanceolate leaves, 5 to 10cm (2 to 4in) long, strongly veined, light green and vibrant, turning purple to red in autumn. The young green branches gradually turn from yellow-green to bright yellow. The inconspicuous white-yellowish flat cyme flowers, 3 to 5cm (1 to 2in) in diameter, give way to white or more or less bluish berries, quite decorative, which quickly disappear due to the appetite of birds.

Cornus sericea 'Budd's Yellow' can be planted individually in a small garden or in the background of flower beds, in large thickets in combination with other stoloniferous dogwoods like 'Flaviramea', 'Kelsey Gold', 'Silver and Gold', bloodtwig dogwoods or Florida dogwoods for a mix of colours. It illuminates the dark green or bluish evergreen foliage of conifers with its yellow branches and accompanies the spring flowering of azaleas, Pieris, and rhododendrons in acidic soil. Use it as a border in a mixed hedge with bamboos, Choisya, Nandina, or camellia, for example. It is widely used to fill large slopes and to create pretty hedges in gardens. If the soil in your garden is periodically waterlogged or poorly drained, this bush will give you complete satisfaction, just like guelder rose, bald cypress, or fringe tree.