Sorbus commixta Olympic Flame

Sorbus commixta Olympic Flame or 'Dodong' is a variety of Japanese Mountain Ash with moderate growth, which forms a small tree or a large bush with multiple trunks. It blooms in spring, producing clusters of cream-white flowers that later develop into very decorative orange-red fruits. Its deciduous leaves, composed of numerous elongated, beautiful glossy dark green leaflets, offer a magical spectacle in autumn when they blaze with vibrant colours. Very hardy and adaptable to most soils, this beautiful Mountain Ash is an excellent choice for small urban gardens, especially since it tolerates pollution well.

The Mountain Ash belongs to the large family of Rosaceae, which includes more than 5000 species, including most of our temperate climate fruit trees, as well as wild plants in our countryside, and of course, numerous ornamental genera, such as Amelanchiers, countless Prunus, and the queen of flowers, the rose. The genus Sorbus comprises about a hundred species of shrubs or trees, with compound leaves (the Mountain Ashes) or simple leaves (the Whitebeams).
Sorbus commixta, the Japanese Mountain Ash, grows naturally in the Far East: central and eastern China, Korea, Japan, and as far as the Russian island of Sakhalin, off the coast of Siberia. It is found in forests and on mountain slopes, in the form of a small tree 7 to 10 m tall, sometimes a little taller. It develops a rounded crown, carried by a trunk with brown-grey bark. Its compound leaves take on beautiful red or dark purple colours in autumn before falling. Its late spring flowering in clusters of 9 to 15 cm consists of small cream-white flowers, 6 to 10 mm in diameter, which then give way to fruits 7-8 mm in diameter, orange to red in autumn.
'Dodong' is a Swedish selection made by Tor Nitzelius from seeds collected in 1976 on the South Korean island of Ullung-do, and whose port is called Dodong. This Mountain Ash is also known as 'Olympic Flame', because of its autumnal appearance reminiscent of the Olympic flame, but some consider it a distinct variety. Dodong has a conical to pyramidal habit, which can slightly widen with age. In 10 years of planting, it will reach an average height of 6 m with a width of 3 m. At maturity, it can grow up to 8-10 m in height with a spread of 4-6 m. Its foliage is particularly ornamental, consisting of odd-pinnate leaves composed of 15 to 17 leaflets. Measuring 4 to 8 cm in length, they are very slender with a long pointed tip, giving them a graceful appearance reminiscent of certain ferns. When they emerge in spring, the young leaves are bronze-coloured before turning fairly dark green and slightly glossy. In autumn, they blaze, changing from dark yellow to flamboyant orange and then intense red, transforming the plant's silhouette into an evocation of the Olympic torch.
The flowering is the second highlight of this variety, when large clusters of 8 to 12 cm in diameter, composed of white flowers, bloom in May and June. These light inflorescences are particularly enhanced by the darker foliage and make the plant very attractive in spring. After fertilisation, the flowers develop into pea-sized, pear-shaped fruits. The large clusters of orange-red fruits create a superb contrast against the green foliage in late summer and remain on the plant for a long time, at least as long as the birds spare them.

The 'Dodong' Mountain Ash is the ideal plant for beginners in the garden, easy to grow, adapting to most well-drained soils, very hardy, and requiring only sun or light shade. This variety is also particularly generous, offering ornamental flowering and fruiting, as well as some of the most vibrant autumn colours. Plant it as a specimen on a lawn, as it deserves, or incorporate it into a border alongside other equally accommodating plants. Plant a Weigela florida 'Alexandra' at its base, whose dark purple foliage will create a magnificent contrast with Dodong's foliage throughout the growing season. In addition, its pink flowering will perfectly complement that of your Mountain Ash in May. Also, plant a Philadelphus coronarius 'Aureus' in the shade of the Mountain Ash. This Mock Orange with golden foliage will add an extra colourful touch, and its highly fragrant spring flowering will surely charm you. And to flower your summer, nothing beats an Indian Lilac, or Lagerstroemia, whose clusters of flowers will illuminate your scene in white, pink, red, purple, or mauve, depending on the variety.