Cornus alba 'SIBIRICA VARIEGATA' (Elegantissima) Tatarian dogwood, red-bark dogwood
Cornus
Tatarian (red-barked) dogwood is a reliable shrub that is mostly used in parks and towns where it requires no maintenance at all and can stand pollution, adverse growing conditions and is pest and disease free.Sibirica Variegata, also called Elegantissima, is a variegated form of Tatarian dogwood. It bears 5-7 long, deciduous, irregularly ovate, mid green leaves with creamy white margins that turn pink at the end of summer and the whole leaf changes to red in autumn. Mature stems are burgundy red which is most admired in winter when the ground is covered with a good layer of snow. In late spring appear small, white flowers in red calyxes, composed in almost flat cymes, and are followed by white, spherical berries in late summer and autumn. It is a fast grower.
This care-free shrub will grow in almost any soil, preferably in full sun, about 2,5m wide and tall. It can be trimmed from end spring until mid summer, or even cut back to some 10-20 cm above ground level if grown for the stem colour. Fully hardy to min. -40°C.
Last update 09-02-2011
