Cornus Alba Sibirica
Cornus Alba Sibirica just the shrub to brighten up the Winter Garden in Aberdeen
Here we are in January, a case of just trying to keep the garden tidy. Not much going on, in fact the only plant that jumps out at you is the Cornus Alba Sibirica. See how red these stems are. We only have the one shrub in the main border of the back garden can you imagine how much more striking this would be with several of them, or for that matter how about a sweeping swathe of them going up your winding driveway (dream on)
Cornus Alba Sibirica is fully hardy in Scotland, well I guess the name of the shrub would tell you this much. These red stems are the result of hard pruning every Spring. If you leave the shrub to its own devices this effect will be greatly diminished as it is only the current years growth that produces such results.
I haven’t as yet mentioned that the common name for Cornus is Dogwood it also occurred to me that I have no idea why this should be. Seems there are a few suggestions here is what Wikipedia has to say.
The picture below gives an idea as to how Cotinus Alba Sibirica stands out in the border in the Winter months. It also lets you see just how much better it would look if there were even three of these shrubs planted, don’t you agree?
• Description — This shrub is mainly grown for Winter interest, the red stems are extremely striking. Small white rather insignificant flowers develop in June. White tinged blue berries are said to appear in Autumn although I have never seen these develop in our Aberdeen garden. Cornus Alba Sibirica has been given the RHS award of garden merit.
• Height — 150cm/5ft Spread 80cm/2ft 9″
• Position — For best Winter colour plant in full sun
• Soil — Will grow in most conditions acid/alkaline
• Hardiness — Fully hardy
• Pruning — Cut back hard to just about three inches above ground level in early Spring, I do this first or second week in March. Or if you wish to have them a little taller you can create a framework cutting them back to about 18 inches from ground level (pollard) cut back to this level each Spring.
*** Cornus alba sibirica ***
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And now for a little of the too frequent trivia that comes into my mind .
At this time of year I often get around to thinking Of McIntosh Red Apples from Canada and North America, and also Jaffa Oranges from Israel.
Why should these every day pieces of fruit come to mind, well generally because they haven’t been available in the UK for the past ten years or so.
I remember Christmas parties which were organized for children in the 1950s, on going home we were always presented with a bag of goodies which usually contained a Mcintosh Red Apple and a Jaffa orange from Israel.
Moving on to 1975 Myra and I opened a general store, well in the first couple of years it was actually a green grocer. When early December arrived we would be flooded with those rosy red apples arriving from the USA and Canada and at much the same time the Jaffas would arrive from Israel.
The Mac Red was first discovered by John Mcintosh living in Ontario Canada in 1796. The first Jaffa Oranges to arrive in the shops were the Navels and a few weeks later the best of them named jaffa Shamouti would be eagerly awaited..
I don’t eat enough fruit these days and although I am not exactly in my dotage most apples are now too hard for my teeth. The Mac Reds have softer flesh, and although Wikipedia describe them as being tart, too my taste buds they were as sweet as honey. I miss the Jaffa Shamouti oranges equally and think no other one can compare.
Why on earth would the best loved fruits no longer be available in this country, I would love to know if you have the answer. Could it be political? Does it have something to do with the EU or Common market as it was known when we joined up to it? I know with experience that it has nothing to do with the public having found a dislike for the produce.
One of the biggest superstores in Scotland is Asda which a few years ago was bought over by Walmart, the American giant, so come on lets get some of your apples back in this country.
If you happen to leave a comment I will be sure to visit your site and do the same
Thanks for the visit Sage Butterfly, certainly no shortage of Mac Reds as far as I can gather, except for here in the UK that is.
I am often surprised when I hear of these changes, and I often don’t know why sometimes things move on or die out. It does seem like you could get your apples back, however. The cornus is lovely and perfect in the winter garden.
Hi Sunil, I am getting to a stage where if I want more plants, something will have to go. I see your daffs are further on than ours, well that’s no surprise.
Hello Alistair, happy new year! Your garden looks immaculate even in the depths of winter. Are you planning to add the yellow stemmed cornus alongside the red? We don’t have much winter colour apart from winter honeysuckle and a couple of other winter flowering plants. One of the Acers we have has bright pink young stems that fade to yellow with age that you only notice in winter.
Hi Pam, like me wanting what we cant get. I agree Coz’s pippins have to be the best for flavour.
Oh, how I miss Cox’s Orange Pippin — the benchmark for flavor in apples! Haven’t tasted one in the 35 years I’ve been here. Your garden looks amazing at any time of year. P. x
Hi Janet,hard to resist a bargain, especially if its plants you really like.
Hi Alistair, I have no answer for you on the fruit front, maybe they were insufficiently uniform for modern supermarkets? As to dogwoods, I love them, and keep almost buying a set of three currently on offer, one ‘sibirica’ , one ‘flaviramea’ (green stems) and one ‘midwinter fire’ (orange). I promised myself I wouldn’t buy anything I didn’t already have a cleared planting place for, but these are at such a good price, and I do so prize the winter colour they bring to the garden…
Hi Astrid, and you had me googling Explorer Roses which I had never heard of before. Seems like they are just the thing for the cold Canadian climate, I guess they would do all right over here. Its a long journey for a half dozen apples, but thanks I will give you a call if we come over.
Hi Alistair
The Cornus is lovely. I have several and they have terrific variegated foliage in summer (a lovely background to Explorer roses) and of course they stand out so beautifully against white snow in winter. One of my favourites.
RE: apples. Local Macs are the true favourite in my family, especially when they are at their peak in Sept/Oct. Such a shame that they won’t export them to Scotland, especially if they did before. I quickly tried a Google search for an answer but to no avail. Oh well – you and Myra will just have to plan a trip to Ontario next fall! Hey – drop by for a visit.
So do I! But here I believe Walmart is more of an everything market.
Linnie, I find it unbelievable that guns can be bought at a supermarket.
Alberto, I have a picture of you at an open day of some grand estate with your pen knife in your pocket. I am sure they will root for you.
Hi Alistair! I want more Cronus too in my garden! I also like the yellow ones, so I brought hme some cuttings a few weeks ago (yes I actually stole them) and I hope they are going to root!
Have no clues about your red apples and oranges, I just hope it’s anything to do with politics, that would be too bad!
Hi Alistair
I grow a red stemmed dogwood that is native, Cornus sericea, so pretty. A great post to bring these plants some attention! So sorry about the fruit you are missing. We have the apples but I’ve not heard of that orange.
I do share Donna’s opinion above about Walmart. Among many other negatives, I’ve read that their stores are the number one source of guns in America, including semiautomatic assault rifles. I hope they behave better in Scotland, but I would still shop most anyplace instead!
Carolyn, yes those dogwoods do need the sun. There has to be an explanation for the Mac reds demise, for decades we were flooded with them.
Andrea, the snow can appear at any time in the Winter. With Aberdeen being situated at the coast the spells with snow usually don’t last very long, in fact some years we hardly have any. We do get plenty British and European apples, the Mac reds don’t grow well in this country, in fact the only ones of quality come from the USA and Canada.
Hi Alistair, your garden don’t look bad even in winter, where is the snow? About red apples, maybe we are more favored by the market, i also wonder why because we don’t have much to spend for red apples. There’s a lot of them here. I think i would rather buy mangoes. I thought most cold countries can grow apples on their own, wonder why Scotland don’t have enough of them for their citizens. If only we can grow it here i will plant a few trees too, even if its green or pink. I love their flowers maybe more than the fruits.
I really loved all the different varieties of red twig dogwoods but there is no place in my whole garden with enough sun. My experience from trying is that they do terribly in even a modest amount of shade. I pulled them out.
Very curious about the fruit situation. In the US, we get fruit from all over the world. However, studies show that fruit grown in the US has far less pesticides than imported fruit. For that reason and others, I try to buy locally and organically if possible. Pesticides are in the fruit as well as on it so washing only goes so far.
Rosie, Many shrubs and perennials do just look lonely on their own.
Hi Alistair my neighbour has a huge swathe of the red ones in a piece of waste ground next to her back garden – they look amazing from a distance. I don’t grow any red ones but was thinking that they would love my wet soil. I grow Mid Winterfire and really one of those isn’t quite enough to make any impact and I need to start propagating.
If you start to put pressure on your local supermarket I’m sure they will feed that back to their regional office.
Frances, I do think it has to do with the common market, although no amount of googling backs this up.
Hi B-a-g, when I was at school (all those years ago) even the boys got a cooking class, teacher always said exactly as you do regarding Bramleys. Afraid I fall short of my five a day.
Holley, the one which we have with a name like Siberica, makes you think they wouldn’t cope so well in hot climates.
Diana, perhaps the Mac reds don’t even taste so good these days. I think I will have a go at an apple each lunch time, I could always try gumming them.
Angie, I hope the flooding didn’t affect you too much, very pleased the pruning tips were of use. As for apples, I wonder if they would still be the same to me if I were to try them now.
Donna, your friends grow their own Macs, what a treat. I have in the past tasted European Mac reds, cant even get them now, mind you they are simply not the same.
Helene, how very kind of you, even in the gloom of January the spirits can be raised with kind offers. Actually you have convinced me to put pressure on our own stores up here. Talk again soon.
Hi Alistair, Cornus is so lovely at this time of year, definitely something I would have if I had a bigger garden!
I did a bit of Googling for you regarding the apples and oranges, not sure if Tesco has different products in Scotland and in England, but down here in London they sell both Jaffa oranges and Jaffa 100% orange juice on Tesco online, where I buy my weekly shopping.
Jaffa Oranges, 4 Pack, £1.10 (half price offer right now)
Jaffa Orange Juice 900 ml, 11 Jaffa oranges 100% pure fruit juice, £1.89
As for the apples, well I couldn’t find them here right now but I am sure I have seen them both in Tesco and in Morrisons, but possibly not in January…Have you asked for the apples and the oranges in Asda? And in Tesco? I would be happy to arrange for a parcel of oranges to Scotland if you can’t get your local Tesco to sell them 🙂
Take care, Helene.
You are absolutely right about pruning them back hard. The tree and shrub farm my friend owns grows hundreds of them for sale and to get that bright red colors they are trimmed. They grow Macs at the farm too and what a treat each year.
Alistair, I purchased one of these Cornus today – it’s to be planted in an area that has suffered flooding. It was a great size and for the price – well worth it!! I was drawn to those red stem from the entrance way of the nursery.
Your pruning advice has saved me the time looking it up. Pruning advice from someone here in Scotland is better than I would have found on line.
Mac Reds are my fav apples too, there was always lots of them in the fruit bowl. I think we’ve discussed diet before and apples are way down on my list nowadays! I think it’s because they just don’t taste the same.
Even in apples, fashions change. Had a disconcerting conversation on Google Plus with someone who works with GMs. First we worry about shelf life etc, then we flavour everything with grape Koolaid because it’s cheap and the punters like it. And as a poor third he said casually we’ll get back to good flavour. All starting from a new variety of apple that doesn’t go brown, so they can leave slices on the breakfast buffet.
Oh no, dear – I couldn’t POSSIBLY eat a Whole Apple! I despair, while happily chewing on an organic if possible apple for lunch each day.
I have never seen a red-twig dogwood in person, although I have seen it in photos. Yours is gorgeous! Since I’ve never seen them in any landscape or for sale locally, I wonder if they could take our heat. As for the apples, it would be interesting to know. I hope you find out the answer.
Hi Alistair – My favourites are the tart apples, coxs and granny smiths. I use them for eating and making apple pies. Why buy Bramleys then add loads of sugar …
As for oranges, I have lost count of the number of oranges I’ve opened to find them dry with more chewy skin than juicy fruit.
I’ve always wondered how it can be possible for bananas to be the cheapest fruit that you can buy in the supermarket. That’s 3 of my 5-a-day!
I have the common dogwood which though beautiful, from photos I’ve seen isn’t quite as bright as the siberian version, I have been thinking of getting one,
I think joining the common market stopped a lot of things, I was eating meat at that time and loved my New Zealand lamb but we stopped importing it when we joined the common market,
now a days there is also in some areas the counting the miles thing, so shops are encouragd to buy their produce near to where they are selling,
fully sympathise and understand the teeth situation, I’m the same 😉 Frances
Donna, not much need for pruning those dogwoods in your part of the world. We are always told to wash apples to get rid of the pesticide, whatever the reason for the absence of macs I would love to know. I think Walmart have been forced to maintain the good working terms previously given by Asda.
Alistair I have native Cornus sericea or red-twig dogwood growing. I have 3. They have naturalized a bit in the meadow and are a favorite of the deer browsing for food especially in winter and they eat them down to a couple of feet where they can reach them…so I rarely cut them back much. Mine flower and berry with enough sun. The birds devour the berries.
Now for those Macs…we grow them here in central NY and are known for them. We love them too and they are sweet…I am not sure why they would not be shipped there unless there is a ban on fruit laced with pesticides…apples here are grown with too much chemicals and I have to look for organic ones. Watch that Walmart…they love to sell for less but they do not treat their employees well and underpay them with little to no benefits…nasty buggers.
Lovely photos! Larry