Dogwoodis an ornamental shrub, attractive all year round. Yellow flowers appear on it in early spring, red fruit at the end of summer, and in autumn the leaves change color nicely.Dogwood fruitsare valued for their healing properties, they can be used to make the famous dogwood tincture and numerous preserves. See whatgrowing dogwoodlooks like and choose the bestdogwood varietyfor your garden. "
Dogwood - fruit
Edible dogwood - properties
Dogwood - ornamental properties
Dogwood (Cornus mas) grows slowly. Eventually, it reaches a height of up to 7 m, creating an extensive shrub with a spherical crown. In autumn, its leaves change color to pale pink to orange. Dogwood begins to bloom in February, even before the leaves appear. Early varieties start fruiting in mid-August, late varieties in October.dogwood 'Variegata' , which impresses with red discoloration and an interesting, creamy leaf border, has a special decorative value. These shrubs can be planted singly, but they are also great when planted as hedges.
Dogwood - culinary properties
A very valuable biological feature of dogwood is the lack of alternation in fruiting.Dogwood fruitshave a sweet and sour taste. They can be eaten raw and can also be added to baked goods or desserts. They are also a great ingredient for preserves - jams, preserves, syrups, tinctures.Dried can be used as a spice for marinades. Not fully ripe, after pickling, they resemble olives. The tincture obtained from them, the so-called doghouse.
Edible dogwood - healing properties
The fruit of the edible dogwood has numerous healing properties. They contain a lot of vitamins C, P, A, macro- and microelements, valuable ingredients necessary for the proper functioning of our body. They can help, among other things, in digestive ailments. Dogwood leaves, bark and roots are valuable pharmaceutical raw materials.
Edible dogwood - cultivation
Dogwoodis a plant with low cultivation requirements. Prefers a quiet, sunny or semi-shaded position.The cultivation of dogwoodis successful on moderately fertile, sandy-clay soils, rich in calcium. The soil should be kept moderately moist, neutral or alkaline. Dogwood tolerates acid soils worse.
The deadline for planting dogwooddepends on whether you choose a bare-root seedling or a container-grown seedling. If we bought a bare-root plant, plant it in early spring or autumn, trimming the roots to a length of about 15 cm. We do the same with shoots. Plants can be planted in containers throughout the growing season.
Dogwood - flowers
Preparing the pit forplanting dogwoodconsists in placing a compact humus soil in it, so that it retains water and nutrients. If the plants are dry, you can immerse their roots in water for a few minutes. Next, we place the plants in the pit as deep as it grew. After planting, tamp the soil around the plant and water it.
Other care treatments related togrowing dogwoodare: fertilization and pruning.Fertilization of dogwoodis limited to a minimum (beginning of the growing season). The shrub responds well to organic fertilizers, e.g. manure.
Edible dogwood - cut
Pruning of the edible dogwoodshould be done in the spring after flowering, shining through the crown and cutting out thickening branches. In order to prevent the aging of the edible dogwood, the oldest shoots should be cut out at the base every two or three years. New shoots will develop better, the number of flowers will be greater and, consequently, we will get more valuable fruits.
If we are going to form adogwood hedge , we must remember to cut it in the first year. The main cut of the hedge is carried out at the end of winter or in early spring, during the growing season a correction cut is possible. The side edges should form a trapezoid so that the lower parts of the plant get more light and can develop properly.
Edible dogwood - varieties
Edible dogwood varietiesare fertile, frost-resistant and can be grown all over Poland.
Ukraine has been in the lead incultivation of dogwood . Breeding work is underway on this species all the time. There are new, interestingvarieties of edible dogwoodApart from the Ukrainian varieties of dogwood, there are also Bulgarian varieties ('Kasalnak', 'Shumensky'), Czech ('Sokolnicky', 'Ruzynsky'), Slovak ('Devin', 'Titus', 'Santana'), Austrian - 'Jolico'. The latter starts fruiting even on one-year-old strains. Its fruits are large, dark red in color. They ripen as one of the last ones at the turn of September and October.
The table below presents the most valuableUkrainian varieties of dogwood .
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Fifteen of this species were also selectedPolish dogwood varietiesOf which eight were registered. They are: 'Bolestraszycki', 'Dublany', 'Paczoski', 'Szafer', 'Florianka', 'Podolski', 'Słowianina'.The cultivars 'Bolestraszycki', 'Dublany', 'Florianka', 'Szafer', 'Swietłana' have the largest fruit, while 'Juliusz' is the smallest. The table below presentsPolish edible dogwood varieties
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MSc Eng. Joanna Białowąs
