Cornus alba ´Elegantissima´

This vigorous upright shrub is a good-value plant for a garden. It has attractive, grey-green variegated leaves in summer. In autumn its leaves turn reddish-orange before they drop. Flowers are followed by white, often blue-tinged fruit. In winter its bright-red stems bring a welcome dash of colour. Fully hardy, it prefers full sun to partial shade in moderately fertile soil. In March, cut the stems back hard to within 5-7cm from the ground and apply a generous layer of mulch around the base of the plant. This plant works particularly well with other purple or orange stemmed varieties of dogwood.