Dogwoods - Cornus: the most beautiful foliage

Golden foliage

Currently, there are no flowering dogwoods (Cornus kousa, Cornus florida, etc.) with yellow or golden foliage. However, you can find them among the decorative wood dogwoods and fruiting dogwoods.

This is the case with the Cornus alba ‘Aurea’, which displays remarkably colourful foliage, predominantly yellow with some seasonal variation: in spring, it unfurls in a warm yellow tinged with orange, turning yellow-green in summer, then lemon yellow in September, before shifting to pink and rosy red in autumn. This white dogwood also produces clusters of small cream flowers that are highly melliferous and proudly showcases bright red stems in winter. It is a ramified bush that will reach about 2 m in height, with a spread of at least 1.50 m, making it ideal for borders or informal hedges. The Cornus alba thrives in full sun or partial shade, in fresh, fertile and humus-bearing soil, even moist, heavy, and slightly calcareous.

Among the golden foliage, you will also notice the Cornus mas ‘Aurea’ with its golden yellow foliage in spring, turning yellow-green in summer and finishing with a flamboyant display in autumn in shades of purple-yellow. The male dogwood blooms as early as February and produces bright yellow flowers. By early September, the Cornus mas ‘Aurea’ is covered with a multitude of bright red edible drupes. This highly ramified shrub reaches an adult size of 5 to 6 m with a similar spread. The male dogwood ‘Aurea’ prefers sunny locations, but also tolerates shaded areas, brightening them up with its vibrant colours. It tolerates all types of soil, even poor and dry.

Cornus alba ‘Aurea’, spring foliage and early winter when its leaves begin to fall

Purple foliage

Some purple, even “chocolate”, foliage can be found among Cornus kousa or Japanese flowering dogwoods.

The Cornus kousa ‘Copacabana’ is remarkable for the colour of its foliage, which varies in shades of red-purple. Initially light green at birth, the colour of the leaves turns purple, becoming almost red in autumn. This small bush with a compact habit (3 m high and 2 m wide) offers a beautiful spring flowering with white bracts tinged with pink that contrast nicely with the foliage. In September, the flowering dogwoods are covered in small red fruits resembling strawberries. The Cornus kousa ‘Cappuccino’, on the other hand, reveals reddish young shoots that unfold into brown leaves before turning dark green depending on sun exposure. This cultivar shows quite slow growth but can reach 4 to 6 m in height and 2 to 3 m in spread after many years. Cornus kousa prefer sun or partial shade and deep, fertile, cool, but well-drained soils, with a tendency to be acidic or neutral.

We can also mention Cornus alba ‘Kesselringii’, a variety of white dogwood interesting for its wood coloured red turning to dark purplish-brown almost black in winter, its reddish young leaves, becoming medium green tinged with purple, and its beautiful brown-red autumn foliage. This is a ramified bush that will reach about 3 m in all directions by the age of 10. This white dogwood enjoys sun and rather cool, fertile, humus-bearing, even moist soil.

Cornus alba ‘Kesselringii’ on the left and the ‘Cappuccino’ variety on the right

White variegated foliage

Variegated foliage in white or cream can be found in all types of dogwoods: decorative wood dogwoods, flowering dogwoods, tree dogwoods, and even fruiting dogwoods.

Among the decorative wood dogwoods, we can mention Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’, Cornus alba ‘Ivory Halo’, Cornus alba ‘Sibirica Variegata’, or a yellow-stemmed dogwood, Cornus sericea ‘White Gold’. Decorative wood dogwoods are hardy, bushy shrubs known for their brightly coloured stems in winter: red, orange, or yellow.

Fruit-bearing cultivars of dogwoods, the male dogwoods, are selected for their fruiting (production, taste, fruit colour…), but also for their ornamental interest. Variegated foliage cultivars have emerged, such as Cornus mas ‘Variegata’.

Flowering dogwoods are not to be overlooked, with Cornus kousa ‘Samaritan’ featuring variegated foliage, green edged with cream, which blazes with pink and purple in autumn, or Cornus kousa ‘Laura’ with cream variegated foliage and flowers with small bracts that are also cream-variegated.

Finally, we cannot fail to mention the now-famous Cornus controversa or Pagoda Dogwood ‘Variegata’. Its tiered branch silhouette is adorned with broadly cream-variegated foliage, which is covered in summer with flattened, cream inflorescences. The autumn foliage of this tree (over 7 m tall!) takes on reddish hues before revealing, in winter, the perfect architecture of its branches. Its “little botanical brother,” the Cornus alternifolia ‘Argentea’, much smaller (no more than 3 m tall), displays foliage and flowers similar to Cornus controversa, but the branches are darker and the leaves smaller. These two dogwoods thrive in full sun or partial shade in cool, fertile, humus-bearing soil.

Cornus alba ‘Sibirica Variegata’, Cornus controversa ‘Variegata’, Cornus alba ‘Ivory Halo’ and Cornus alba ‘Silver and Gold’

Variegated yellow foliage

Variegated yellow-leaved dogwoods are among the decorative wood Cornus. Consider Cornus alba ‘Gouchaultii’ with red stems and gold variegated leaves (and a hint of pink), turning red in autumn, or Cornus alba ‘Spaethii’ with green leaves variegated in yellow.

Among the Japanese flowering dogwoods, we can mention the Cornus kousa ‘Bonfire’ with medium green leaves marginate in primrose yellow and golden yellow. This cultivar develops a compact, upright to spreading habit, reaching about 2.5 m in all directions after many years.

Finally, let’s not forget the splendid Cornus alternifolia ‘Golden Shadows’! A little marvel with yellow-marginate leaves, tinged with orangey pink in spring, greener in summer, and then decidedly purplish in autumn. This small tree will not exceed 3 m in height and 2 m in width.

Cornus alba ‘Gouchaultii’, Cornus kousa ‘Bonfire’ and Cornus alternifolia ‘Golden Shadows'[/caption>

Tricolour foliage

Because one colour is too little and two colours are not bad, but still not enough, let’s focus on three-colour variegated foliage!

The brand new Cornus alba ‘Miracle’ lives up to its name with its tricolour young shoots, which are very pink, transitioning to green marginate with cream white and pink. In autumn, it will be the purplish pink to garnet that dominates the leaves. Finally, in winter, the bush presents a naked red wood to the eye. The white dogwood ‘Miracle’ is a very compact variety that will only reach just over 1 m in all directions.

Among the tiered small trees, there is also a tricolour cultivar: the Cornus alternifolia ‘Pinky Spots’ features variegated foliage of cream white and pink on a green background, particularly colourful in spring, becoming greener in summer, then purplish in autumn.

Very rare to find, you might try to track down a male dogwood with variegated yellow and green foliage with hints of pink: you will find it under the name Cornus mas ‘Elegantissima’ (or sometimes ‘Aureo-Elegantissima’). However, be cautious, as this cultivar is almost sterile.

Cornus alba ‘Miracle’ and Cornus alternifolia ‘Pinky Spots’