Cornus mas
There ’s a reason the classic stick around – theywork . And there ’s often something undeniably appealing about whatever ’s work for a long period of time . Exhibit A : the cornelian cherry .
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Cultivated for millennium , Cornus mashas the old - schooltime esthetic that – if you shut down your eye and use your imagination – really takes you back to Ancient Greece .
Photo via Alamy.
As a lover of Hellenic mythology , I can totally picture the Argonauts of the Heroic Age gathering in a woodlet of cornelian cherry tree diagram to spill scheme before embark on their quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece .
You may not be hosting Hercules and Orpheus at your place anytime soon , but with the cornelian cherry in your garden , the vibe of Antiquity will certainly be present .
chip in its beauty , toughness , and delicious fruit , the tree is well worth adding to any landscape painting .
Growing these is n’t super complicated , but it definitely warrants a write - up . This growing guidebook will teach you how to naturalize and like for these plant . Do n’t occupy , though – it wo n’t be in Greek .
lease ’s get into it !
What You’ll Learn
What Are Cornelian Cherry Trees?
Hardy in USDA zone 4 to 8 , the cornelian cherry red is native to central and southern region of Europe as well as west Asia .
Typically found in dry brushlands and deciduous forests , this tree is a phallus of the Cornaceae family andtheCornusgenus , alongside thefloweringandkousa dogwood .
The multi - cauline flora has a fledged acme of 15 to 25 foot , a mature width of 12 to 18 feet , and an ellipse to rounded wont , depend on whether or not you crop away the low branch .
Doing so is ideal if you care to grow grass beneath the canopy , since low fork pulley-block out the sun middling .
The barque is attractive , grizzly - brown to fertile brown , and it exfoliates in off-the-wall scales .
The simple leave of absence are oppositely arranged , form like elongated and pointed eggs , and color a dark and glossy putting green . The autumn colouration is a purple - red , but the leaves often drop in later fall before they have a chance to change color .
Clumps of scandalmongering blossom carry in umbel inflorescences emerge in March , and persist for at least three weeks . As one of the earliest - flowering trees , cornelian cherry receives almost no competition from other tree during its blooming period .
A cornelian cherryiscapable of cross-pollinate itself , but cross - pollination between different variety lean to leave in higher fruit yields .
Once pollinated , the bloom eventually give way to European olive tree - shaped red or yellow drupe – akacornels – which attain peak color in July .
The fruits appeal shuttle and modest mammals , and fall from the tree when fully ripe .
Used in sirup , jamming , and preserves , cornels are high in vitamin cytosine and they are also quite edible raw . At peak ripeness , they taste like a cross betweensour cherriesandcranberries .
If you ’re in a rush for fruit , you wo n’t have to hold back forever – fruiting normally begins within two to five eld , while full production are unremarkably produced begin in geezerhood five to eight .
Cultivation and History
Speaking of the fruits , their exercise as food for humankind goeswayback … at least 7,000 years , in fact .
In Northern Greece , cornels were found in the remains of meals consumed by Neolithic hoi polloi indigenous to the neighborhood .
Along with its edible fruit , cornelian cherry red trees were treasure by the Ancient Greeks and Romans for their hard wood , which was used for crafting obeisance , fizgig , and javelins .
Red dye from the barque was used to color fez with their distinctive ruby chromaticity . The dogwood tree were also used medicinally , and recommended to handle dysentery and gastrointestinal issuance .
The literature of Ancient Greece and Rome contains legion references to the works .
In Homer ’s “ Odyssey , ” Odysseus and his world were turned into pigs after being fed cannon fodder check cornelian cherry tree fruits by the witch Circe , while the Trojan horse in the “ Iliad ” was constructed with cornelian cherry wood .
Additionally , the Roman poet Ovid referenced the gather of the dogwood in his verse form “ Metamorphoses . ”
During the Middle Ages , the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was grown in monastery garden throughout continental Europe . Introduced to Britain in 1597 , this species became a unwashed planting in English garden by the 18th century .
During the subsequent centuries , the cornelian cherry tree became more prize for its utility in the landscape than as a yield tree , especially in the United States .
But multitude in many portion of Europe and west Asia still appreciate the fruit , sell them in their markets , and use them in dessert .
Propagation of Cornelian Cherries
As a case of dogwood tree , this tree diagram can be propagated effectively by sowing seed , consider stem cutting , or transplant .
circularize from seed is tougher than taking cuttings , which in turn is tough than transplantation .
Some ethnic music like the challenge of raising a works from its infancy . If this sounds like you , then go with seed or cutting propagation .
If you just want a plant in the ground ASAP , then transplanting a sapling is probably the undecomposed method acting for you .
The singular specifics of propagatingC. masdefinitely merit a brief hash out .
From Seed
quick harvest home dropped fruits is a surefire way of life to acquire some sow - able source .
The fruits will demand to be harvested upon ripening – once they reach peak color in July , you may either shake the tree or look for the tree to drop its fruits naturally .
Once glean , take away the seeds from the pulpy coating , lave them off , and subject them to 90 to 120 days of moist social stratification at 70 to 85 ° F , followed by 30 to 120 days of moist stratification in the refrigerator .
come in them in a charge plate baggie with a mix of peat moss and perlite .
Afterwards , they ’ll need to be sown in moist , well - drain medium next to a sunny indoor window , as they necessitate light to germinate .
Once they germinate and seedlings grow large enough , you could harden them off before transplanting outdoors the following spring , as described below .
From Cuttings
you may take softwood cuttings in June or July . With a uninventive blade , remove four to 10 inches of a terminal shoot , defoliate the bottom half , and address the cut finish with an IBA root hormone before sticking each into its own pot that ’s fill with moist , well - run out media .
Keep the cuttings in a location with lovesome indoor sunlight and maintain even moisture until they ’re quick for hardening off and transplanting .
Hardening off simply entails bringing your seedlings and/or cuttings out of doors on an former bounce day for 30 to 60 minutes , then increase the vulnerability each follow day over the course of action of a week to 10 days .
Once they ’re indurate off , you may transplant into fecund , moist , and well - draining planting sites .
check that to space the web site 12 to 25 feet apart , depending on whether you need them together as a hedge or to stand out apart from each other .
Transplanting
If you buy bare root transplants , hit it up their radical systems in piddle for three to 24 hours prior to transplanting time .
When it ’s time to transplant , prepare productive , well - draining planting sites . blank each specimen 10 to 50 animal foot apart , depending on whether you want to duck your plantings or have them abide apart as specimens .
For each organ transplant , dig a mess that ’s about the profundity of the root system , and a bit across-the-board , so that you have way to work .
Containerized saplings can be depress into the jam straight , while unembellished etymon should have their antecedent spread out over a soil mound in the bottom of the hole . bit by bit backfill the hole with adjacent land and body of water it all in .
When it ’s all said and done , the crown should be tied with the stain line , and any exist root flare should be leave exposed . check that to keep the transplant ’s solution geographical zone moist as the plant becomes established .
How to Grow Cornelian Cherry Trees
Even though it ’s tough , cornelian cerise is n’t above some tender loving care . And the best way to give a plant life a piddling extra TLC is to cater it with the conditions that it prefer .
Climate and Exposure Needs
A planting site fix somewhere in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 8 is absolutely essential . You ’ll also want to ensure that the tree receive full sun or fond shade .
Soil Needs
One of the forte of the cornelian cherry is its power to tolerate a variety of different soil textures and a broad pH kitchen stove of 5.0 to 8.0 .
As long as the ground is fertile and well - draining , this tree will do just ticket .
Water and Fertilizer Needs
C. masshould sit down in moist soils , so water whenever the top two to three inches of the soil feel ironic . This tree can brook temperate drought , so do n’t chafe if you once in a while irrigate late .
so as to maintain fertile soil , you should impart a few inches of molder manure or compost to the root zone each springtime .
This should take fear of its nutrient requirement , without the need for supplementary plant food .
Growing Tips
Pruning and Maintenance
Cornelian cherry is quick to put out suckers from the base and below the low branches , which can change its cast from tree to shrub very promptly .
These chump can be removed whenever you notice them , along with any damaged , dead , or morbid branches .
so as to allow light to reach any grass growing below the canopy , it may be necessary to prune away the down arm .
Additionally , airflow can – and should ! – be improved by transfer any detrition , cross , or otherwise intrusive branch . This more involved pruning sitting should pass off in leap , after efflorescence take place .
As a deciduous tree , cornelian cherry willdrop its leaves each year , which should be raked upif you want to keep the soil well-defined .
A two- to four - inchlayer of mulchmaintained around the proboscis will help in moisture retention and inhibit the growth of unsightly sens .
Cornelian Cherry Cultivars to Select
Need a stock cornelian cherry tree ? Here ’s a three- to four - foot graft to start up you off , available from FastGrowingTrees.com .
Save for the Star Wars sequel trilogy , unique diversions from old favorites are almost always a good sentence – cornelian cherry cultivar are proof .
Here are some that I find specially fascinating :
Alba
Other than its white fruits , ‘ Alba ’ does n’t really differ much from the received species . But that only difference is enough to set it asunder !
Do n’t mix this cultivar up with the metal money , genus Cornus alba(Tatarian or Siberian dogwoods ) . They are two different things .
Aurea
likewise to ‘ Alba , ’ ‘ Aurea ’ has much in common with a obviously ol’ cornelian cherry , save for glossy golden leaf that ferment orange come fall .
It ’s problematical for morose common to get quondam , but if it does , ‘ Aurea ’ has you track .
Flava
reach a mature top of 20 feet , ‘ Flava ’ produces yellow cornels that are early , sweeter , and with child than those of the standard species .
A vigorous grower to boot , ‘ Flava ’ is quite the horticultural catch .
Nana
Want the aesthetics of the stock cornelian cherry tree , but in the strain of a petite shrub ? ‘ Nana ’ is perfect .
With a acme of three feet and closely - spaced nodes , this variety is excellent for tight space or make small lines of hedge .
Variegata
As you could probably amass from the name , ‘ Variegata ’ has strikingly beautiful variegation .
With creamy white tolerance on the leaf , this multifariousness practically scream , “ notice me ! ”
Managing Pests and Disease
Much likeC. kousa , C. masis renowned for its plague and disease immunity .
Even infamousCornusissues such asdogwood anthracnoseand dogwood tree woodborer do n’t pose a threat to the cornelian cherry tree .
No plant is invincible , though , so using disease - gratis plants , clean soils , and sterilized gardening tools will help keep your garden hygienise .
right cultivation of your cornelian cherry will ensure that it ’s kept as sizeable as potential so you could start on the veracious invertebrate foot for consider with any health issue thatdocrop up .
But if you ’re still disquieted , revisit the typical pests and diseases of dogwood tree tree will help you to know what to do in the case of an infestation or contagion .
Best Uses for Cornelian Cherry Tree
Hoo , boy … This ai n’t a short lean , let me assure ya .
For starters , a cornelian cherry tree looks arresting all on its lonesome – no speech pattern or coupling required .
you may put this tree diagram next to structures as a foundation planting , or with other cornelian cherries as part of a perimeter , hedging , or screen somewhere in your landscape .
C. masalso looks right at home in woodland gardens , given its esthetic and power to attract Hellenic timberland critter “ Snow White”-style .
Beyond its ornamental applications , the yummy drupe of cornelian cherry can be consumed raw or used as an fixings in more luxuriant culinary concoction .
Our writer Kristine Lofgren has experience manipulate with them . She ’s combined chopped cornels and olive in a tasty vinaigrette , paired the fruit with dingy chocolate for a delicious ticket - team of flavor , and suggests gain a homemade cornel salsa to pair with porc .
One of Kristine ’s steady concoction is homemade pavlova .
For those who do n’t know , a pavlova ’s primary ingredient is meringue : an airy and soft , yet crisp confectionary that I find hyperpalatable to a level surround on addictive .
lend cornelian cherry quick crush , top it with somefresh basil , and you ’ve got yourself a in truth incredible dessert .
Be aware that removing the pit involve patience . Some sources recommend moil to make them easier to remove , but in Kristine ’s experience , this takes quite a while – turn the yield to pulp in the process .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
The Cornelian Cherry: It’s Truly Legendary
Whether describe a late dropped album or an amazingly delicious sushi drum roll , I ’m guilty of abusing the word “ legendary . ”
But this metre , in the case ofC. mas – since it has appeared in the literal legends of Antiquity – I find justified in my usage .
The cornelian cherry will beautifully service you and your garden well for years to hail . Manyyears , in fact – the industrial plant can exist for 200 years , at least in ideal conditions . That ’s a pot of cornels !
Up forlearning more about growing dogwood tree ? Behold :
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About
Joe Butler
