Dogwood: the benefits and strength of the male berry

Dogwood - male berry

Shaitanova's berry has gained such fame also because in the East they believe that tea or compote from it increases potency, so they are drunk immediately before a pleasant process.

* "The natives of the Crimea, - writes a great connoisseur of the nature of the Crimea, - V.Kh. Kondaraki in 1883, - consider the dogwood fruit to be extremely useful for all kinds of diseases, if it is used in the form of a decoction. In these beliefs, they say that all the famous physicians of ancient times, visiting Tauris, did not stay there because they saw a lot of cornelian cherry, as the best doctor against all diseases inherent in the human body.


* Dogwood, like wild rose, helps strengthen the walls of blood vessels, prevents the fragility of capillaries, is used for venous insufficiency, swelling of the legs, inflammation of the veins.

Dogwood improves metabolic processes in the body, is used for joint diseases, gout, it is used for skin diseases, as a diuretic and anti-inflammatory agent for acute inflammation of the bladder, cystitis.
Also, for a long time, dogwood wood has been highly valued for its beautiful texture and extraordinary hardness and strength. In ancient times, back in the Bronze Age, it was called - hard as a horn and was used to make spears, sword handles, sticks, canes, etc.


* Dogwood blooms (in nature) very early - as early as February. It happens that even the snowdrops do not appear, and the dogwood is already in bloom.
Dogwood
Sergei Prilutsky
Dogwood delighted today
Blooms with its honey color
As if the sun had shed a ray
There is a lot of light here.

Where did the bee come from?
But the flies are still not visible,
Now she'll eat her fill
And even now I'm envious.

But the main thing is that there is no foliage,
Tree crowns do not rustle,
But dogwood flowers
We are given yellow buds.


However, its flowering stretches for a long time (sometimes until the first days of May). It would seem that with such an early flowering and fruits should be expected early, but no - only by autumn its berries ripen. Just on this discrepancy between early flowering and late ripening, one of the Eastern legends about dogwood is based.

When Allah created the world, he lay down to rest, and a blissful spring came on the earth. Buds began to bloom, trees turned green, flowers began to appear. There was a big noise here. This one grabs one thing, that one pulls another, they quarrel among themselves, swear. Allah could not stand it, woke up and began to restore order. First of all, he called everyone to him and said this: "My foolish children! You will spoil all the gardens. I command each of you to choose some plant for yourself, so that in the future you will only use it." What started here! Who asks for a cherry, who asks for an apple tree, who asks for a peach. Shaitan approached Allah.

And what did you choose? - asked Allah.
- Kizil.
- Why dogwood?
- So, - Shaitan did not want to tell the truth.
- Well, take dogwood, - said Allah.

Shaitan jumped merrily, still - he deftly outwitted everyone, asking for a dogwood for himself. Dogwood, after all, is the first to bloom, which means it will yield a crop before other plants. And the first berry, as you know, is the most expensive. But now summer has come, the fruits of sweet cherries, cherries, apple trees, pears, and peaches have begun to ripen. And the dogwood was still not ripe and still remained hard and green. Shaitan sits under a tree, gets angry: "Yes, ripen soon, Shaita-new berry!" Dogwood does not ripen. Then Shaitan began to blow on the berries, and they turned red-red, like a flame, but, as before, remained hard and sour.

Well, how is your dogwood? people asked Shaitan.
- Muck, not berries, take them for yourself.

In late autumn, when the harvest in the gardens was already harvested, people went to the forest for dogwood. Collecting delicious ripe berries, they laughed at Shaitan: "Shaitan miscalculated!" Meanwhile, Shaitan was furious with anger and thought how to take revenge on people. And he came up with. The next autumn, he made it so that the dogwood was born twice as much. But in order for it to ripen, it needed twice as much heat. People rejoiced at the large harvest, not suspecting that these were the tricks of Shaitan. And the sun was exhausted during the summer and could not send enough heat to the earth. And such a harsh winter came that all the gardens froze, and people remained a little alive. Since then, there has been a sign: if big harvest dogwood - to be cold in winter.

* A dogwood appeared, as he says ancient legend, from a spear with which the founder of Rome, Romulus, first outlined the boundaries of the future Eternal City, and then with force plunged the spear into the ground, and it blossomed with a dogwood tree. Obviously, therefore, the Greeks and Romans made sword hilts, arrows and spears mainly from dogwood wood, and dogwood itself was called a tree, "friendly with weapons." By the way, the famous Odysseus also had a dogwood spear shaft.

From time immemorial, a decoction of dogwood leaves has been used to treat intestinal diseases, and a decoction of the fruit has been used to treat colds and fever. In addition, the fruits have bactericidal properties. Already in our time, it has been established that dogwood bark, its berries and leaves contain organic acids, sugars, pectins, tannins, and they contain as much vitamin C as black currants.

In the Caucasus, mashed dogwood berries have long been used to make a special vitamin pita bread. It is known that during the First World War, with the help of such lavash, it was possible to eliminate scurvy on the Caucasian front.

Inhabitants southern regions where dogwood is common, unripe berries are salted with bay leaves and fennel. They taste like the famous olives. Perhaps this recipe has come down to us from the time Ancient Greece and Rome, where they also salted dogwood fruits and ate them with bread and cheese, and some with meat and fish, depending on wealth.


***
I asked at the top, overgrown with dogwood:
"What manhood serve as a measure?
"Attitude towards a woman," the sky said in response.

Rasul Gamzatov


There is a Christian legend (of unknown origin) that the Holy Cross was made from dogwood.

It is said that in the time of Christ, dogwoods were larger than they are now - the most big trees in the Jerusalem area. However, after the Crucifixion, Christ changed the plant to its current state: it became lower, its branches hung down so that it could no longer be used for crucifixions.

Christ also changed its flower to resemble the Cross, with four cross-lying petals that represent the four arms of the Cross, the thorns are the nails with which Christ was nailed, the red stamens of the flowers are the crown of thorns, and the red fruits are his blood.


Dogwood varieties
***
In former years
was a warrior
Archer brave -
Sharp dogwood.
Today they are ripping off
Me for fun.
people forgot
Old glory.

Autumn got
Brushes and paints.
Are you looking for me?
Listen for hints:
brown leaves
Will soon wither
dark berries
They will become red.

Cecile Mary Barker. Dogwood elf song

(The dogwood has other beautiful names, such as glog and cornel).

dogwood contraindications

You can not take dogwood with increased acidity of the stomach, with nervous excitement and overexcitation, especially at night, individual intolerance.


*AT old times dogwood was used by American pioneers to brush their teeth.

Dogwood wood was highly valued for making shuttles for looms, arrows, doorknobs, and other small items that require very hard wood. Dogwood wood was also used to make clamping screws for squeezing juice from grapes and fruits, tennis rackets, hammer handles.

* In the Main Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in Moscow, dogwood has been grown since 1950. Now the dogwood grove has 50 plants (up to three meters high and three meters in diameter), which bloom beautifully, bear fruit and even seedlings. Flowering in the Moscow climate usually occurs in the second decade of April, and fruit ripening - in September. This means that growing dogwood on your own garden plot any gardener can, there would only be a desire, because nothing is impossible for true plant lovers!


*However, dogwood is attractive not only for its palatability, it helps to cure a variety of ailments - Hippocrates himself treated his patients with it. Fresh and dried berries and dogwood jam can be taken for diarrhea (due to the substances it contains - tanides - dogwood has astringent properties), diabetes (lowers the percentage of sugar in the blood), lack of appetite, with low enzyme activity pancreas, beriberi, anemia, gout, hypertension and varicose veins. Well, due to the high content of vitamin C in dogwood, jelly and juice from it are included in the diet of astronauts. However, the most important property of dogwood is that it has the ability to prolong life.

Often on personal plots you can see a plant with bright red berries. It is called dogwood. This shrub loves light, but also grows well in partial shade, is not afraid of drought, and it is also winter and frost-resistant, tolerates frosts down to -40 degrees. The plant can be grown in any soil. But it is best to give preference to light soils with a lot of nutrients and good drainage. Dogwood grows as a sub-shrub that can be trimmed and sheared. Its height varies from two to five meters.

The flowering period of this plant comes earlier than others. fruit trees and semi-shrubs. It starts from March and lasts until mid-April, if the daily air temperature is within 5-10 degrees. The average duration of flowering is 14 days.

The flowers of the plant are bright yellow. They are pollinated by bees and the wind. To get a regular harvest, it is recommended to plant several plants at once. The first harvest can be harvested in late summer or early autumn. The shape of the fruit depends on the plant variety. The fruits are red, yellow or pink in color.

Powerful branched rhizomes of the plant occur to a depth of 1 m from the ground level. The main roots are located at a depth of half a meter.

Where to plant dogwood?

Usually this subshrub is planted on site perimeter. Any site is suitable for growing dogwood.

Recommendation: To obtain a good harvest, the plant is recommended to be grown in open areas. Lightweight, neutral, moist, drained soil, which is rich in calcium and has low acidity, is considered more suitable.

Growing dogwood is not difficult. It can grow in partial shade and full sun. It is also suitable for areas with a slight slope. The plant is suitable for growing on slopes that are oriented to the north and northeast.

When should dogwood be planted?

A more suitable period for planting a plant is considered spring and summer periods. With the onset of autumn, the semi-shrub is allowed to be planted 14-21 days before the autumn frosts.

How to choose the right seed?

You do not know which dogwood seedlings to buy? Then you need to read the following recommendations. When buying seedlings, you need to pay attention to the condition in which they are rhizomes:

• they must be without signs of disease;
• preference should be given to seedlings that have two or three main root branches, the minimum length of which is 25-30 cm;
• rhizomes must be moist and not winded;
• the bark should not be wrinkled, and the branches whole and powerful.

If the purchase of seedlings occurs in the fall, then it is recommended to carefully remove the foliage on the branches. In doing so, care must be taken not to damage ovary.

Recommendations: so that the roots do not dry out during transportation, wrap them in a damp cloth and put them in plastic bag. If the roots of the seedlings are very dry, then they must be lowered into the liquid for a maximum of two to three days.

It happens that the acquired seedling is not possible to plant immediately. In this case, it is recommended to dig it in the shade. To do this, do the following:

• Dig a shallow, slightly elongated groove. At the same time, it should be tilted to the south.
• The seed must be placed in the pit at an angle.
• The plant is covered with a substrate in such a way that all the roots and half of the seedling are covered.
• After this, the bush must be watered abundantly. So you can store seed for one month.

Training planting material is as follows:

• it is necessary to remove all broken, unhealthy, dry rhizomes and branches;
• so that the roots of the plant do not dry out, it is recommended to coat them in a clay mash before planting.

Planting dogwood

Plants that are one to two years old are suitable for transplantation. Dogwood planting is carried out in holes, the dimensions of which should be such that the rhizomes can be evenly located in it. More suitable sizes a pit is considered, the depth of which is 30-50 cm. The width in diameter should be at least 40 cm.

The plant does not tolerate stagnant water, so it is necessary to lay at the bottom of the pit drainage layer 10-15 cm thick. Pebbles, gravel or expanded clay can be used as drainage.

• humus - 1 bucket;
• superphosphate - 0.2 kg;
• ammonium nitrate - 0.05 kg;
• wood ash - 0.250 kg.

All ingredients must be mixed with an ordinary earthen substrate. After that, the hole is covered with the resulting mixture by a third. Next, you need to put ordinary land up to half the volume of the hole and pour a bucket of water. When it is absorbed, then you can proceed to the placement of the seedling. The seed must be placed in the middle of the hole so that the root neck is deepened by two to three centimeters. After that, you need to carefully straighten the roots. It is important that this does not create voids. When the seedling is correctly located, it is necessary to fill the hole with an ordinary earthen substrate. Next, you should trample the soil a little. Then water again and mulch earth. For these purposes, you can use organic matter. Mulch is poured five to ten centimeters thick.

dogwood care

Proper care of the plant consists in the timely application of fertilizers, pruning and regular soil treatment.

With the onset of spring, be sure loosen priming. Then it is done five more times during the summer and once after the harvest. After that, they produce mulching soil with organic matter.

Watering can be done in the following ways:

• pour water into the recesses;
• in the holes located around the seedling.

Under one bush, it is necessary to pour an average of two or three buckets of water. When watering, it is necessary to take into account the age of the plant, the soil and the degree of moisture.

Top dressing dogwood

For a bountiful harvest and good growth, it is necessary to fertilize every year. The following mixture can be used as a fertilizer:

• ammonium nitrate - 0.03 kg;
• humus or compost - one bucket.

Recommendations: every year at the beginning of summer, it is necessary to pour 10 liters of fertilizer from water and fresh mullein under each adult plant in a ratio of 1:5. Instead, you can use bird droppings diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. It is also suitable as a fertilizer to add agrolife to the top layer of soil.

Also, every year at the end of summer, you can pour 0.5 liters under each plant. wood ash. After harvesting, it is recommended to apply 0.1 kg of superphosphate fertilizers.

Frequently asked Questions

You can often hear questions: "How to grow dogwood?". This and other questions are answered by our gardener.

Illona writes us the following: “Good afternoon. I need advice. I can't figure out how to grow dogwood. I have two dogwood bushes growing. Moreover, they have been growing next to each other for several years. I also have an apiary in my backyard. But the most interesting thing is that the ovary does not linger on my plants. Once, however, there was one berry at the very bottom. But it was stolen either by insects or domestic animals. Soon the bushes will bloom again. I'm thinking of wrapping them with agricultural cloth. Maybe in this way I can create a microclimate that will help keep the ovary. Do you think this will help or not?

Answer: “In order for a plant to be pollinated, several conditions must be met: the presence of bees, wind, sunny weather and a pollinating tree. I believe that in your case you need to do the following:

• Plant another dogwood of a different variety.
• To attract more insects, it is recommended to spray the plant during the flowering period with a weak honey solution.
• It is best to wrap the tree with agrofibre at night. And then, it is necessary to do this if night frosts are predicted during the flowering period. For pollination, such wrapping will not help.

In doing so, remember the following:

• the plant bears fruit only for 7-8 years;
• dogwood does not bear fruit in clay soil.

Julia asks: “Tell me, please. About three years ago I planted two dogwood bushes. They started without problems, but for some reason they grow very slowly and do not bloom. What should I do?".

Answer: “Pay attention to the soil. The plant will not grow in clay and full shade. It needs to be transplanted. But, in general, I want to say that in the first years these semi-shrubs do not grow quickly. Most likely your plants are still too early to bloom. Very often, dogwood begins to bloom after seven or eight years, if the plant does not belong to the early varieties.

Igor asks: “Recently I bought a dogwood seedling. The seller told me that I still need to buy a deacon. Explain to me what it is? Is it really necessary? After all, it costs the same as the sapling itself.

Answer: “Usually these plants are planted in pairs. Of course, to date, self-pollinating species have been bred. But I often hear from people that these varieties do not always bloom. I would recommend that you still buy a second tree. With his help, pollination is guaranteed. The second plant can easily be a sexton.

The benefits of dogwood berries

In one berry, there are many substances necessary for health: fructose, glucose, organic acids, nitrogenous and coloring substances, essential oil, vitamins C and P and volatile.

Harvest from this shrub is allowed to be used when:

• gout;
• anemia;
• hemorrhoids;
• dysentery;
• typhus;
• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• joint diseases;
• skin ailments.

They also have the following effects on the human body:

• choleretic;
• diuretic;
• antiscorbutic;
• bactericidal;
• antipyretic;
• anti-inflammatory.

The berries contain pectin, which helps cleanse the body. It removes oxalic and lactic acid. With the help of biologically active substances that are part of them, you can stabilize blood pressure, prevent sclerosis, eliminate headache stabilize intracranial pressure. Also, the fruits strengthen the walls of blood vessels, make the capillaries less fragile. It is advisable to use it for venous insufficiency, inflammation of the veins and swelling of the legs. Fruits improve appetite and have a positive effect on the metabolic processes in the body.

Description of dogwood varieties

Dogwood variety Vladimirsky

The fruit ripening period begins in mid-August and ends in early September. Fruit sizes are large. Productivity - high. On average, one berry weighs about 7.5 grams. The fruits are firmly attached to the branches.

Dogwood variety Vydubetsky

The fruits ripen in the twentieth of August. The berries are distinguished by their large size. On average, one fruit weighs 6.5-7.6 grams. The berries are well attached to the branches.

Variety Coral Brand

The ripening period of this mid-early variety falls on average on August 15-20. The berries are pink-orange in color. They can be round and barrel-shaped, similar to cherry plum fruits. On average, the weight of one berry is 5.8-6 g.

Variety Lukyanovsky

The variety begins to ripen on average at the end of August. The shape of large fruits is bottle. The berries are painted in a dark scarlet color, which changes to black as it ripens. The average weight of one berry is about 6 grams.

Variety Gentle

The ripening period will fall on average on August 20-25. Bottle-shaped berries are yellow. The crop can be harvested steadily every year.

Variety Firefly

The period of mass maturation begins at the end of August and ends at the beginning of September. Firefly is the largest variety. The shape of the berries is bottle-shaped with a thickened neck. On average, the weight of one fruit is in the range of 6.5-7.5 grams.

Growing dogwood. Video

Dogwood is a plant that grows in the form of a shrub or tree from the genus Dogwood of the Dogwood family. You can meet him in the regions of the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, Western Asia, Crimea.

Being an unpretentious plant, dogwood can grow both on fertile soil in a hot climate, reaching in this case 8 meters in height, and on mountain slopes.

In the latter case, the dogwood will be up to 3 meters high, that is, it will grow into a shrub.

Cornel harvest time

If you live in areas where dogwood grows, then it is necessary not only to know when the plant ripens, but also in what period to collect specific parts of the dogwood. The ripening period of the shrub falls on March-April and up to September.

The bark is harvested at the very beginning, that is, in March, when flowering has not yet begun. In this period the largest number nutrients are collected in it.

The leaves are harvested from April to May, when the flowering peak of the plant falls. Berries appear by August-September, accumulating most of the vitamins and minerals. Dogwood berries contain many vitamins and minerals

You should know that not every tree is suitable for picking berries. Dogwood begins to bear fruit only from the age of 10, ending at 100-150 years. Young plants are suitable only for harvesting bark. However, in any case, medicinal properties dogwood are more pronounced in mature plants ranging from 10 to 90 years of age.

Where to find dogwood?

The easiest way to find dogwood is to buy it. You can buy berries both fresh and dried. No less popular is the manufacture of jam and compote from dogwood. It will be possible to buy such a delicacy only from private traders, and even then not always. Finding berries is much easier.
The price of dogwood per 1 kg varies greatly depending on the region and the supplier.

Fresh berries are always more expensive, the cost for 1 kg starts from 300 rubles and pumps 700. It is more profitable to buy dried dogwood or dried dogwood. The price for such berries is from 100 rubles to 300.

The cheapest option is packaged tea from fruits and leaves. Its cost is not higher than 100 rubles, and there are no less nutrients in it than in dried or fresh berries of a shrub.

Cornel compote and jam

If you still managed to get the fruits of the dogwood, then in the best possible way its use will prepare compote or jam. In this form, he will not lose his beneficial features, but it will be able to survive until the end of winter.
To prepare 3 liters of compote, a glass of berries and a glass of sugar is enough. Berries with sugar are poured into a jar, added lemon acid, which will not only add color to the compote, but also save the jars from an explosion. The contents are poured with boiling water and ordered. Compote must be infused for one week, after which it is ready for use.

You will learn a detailed recipe from the video:

For jam, sugar is also used, which must be melted into syrup. Berries are poured with this syrup, infused for 3 hours. After that, the boiling procedure is repeated three times, followed by cooling. Next, the banks roll up and insist.

Dogwood: calories

Dogwood is sour in taste, as it contains little sugar. The fruit itself is not high in calories, however, in the form of compote and jam, the product becomes more energetically valuable due to sugar.

It should also be noted that the calorie content of dried dogwood is significantly different from the calorie content of fresh dogwood.

What helps dogwood?

Let's see if dogwood is useful and whether it makes sense to eat it at all.
The dogwood berry has many useful properties, among them:

• high content of vitamin C. This makes dogwood an indispensable remedy for colds. special benefit in this regard, it brings dogwood jam, which, if properly prepared, can be stored for a long time, waiting in the wings;

Enrich the body with vitamin C will help and. Eating carrots increases immunity, strengthens the body's ability to resist viruses and infections.

• the presence of flavonoids. These substances have a calming effect on nervous system, which also contributes to the normalization of pressure in hypertensive patients;
• high iron content. The combination of a large amount of vitamin C with iron not only contributes to the intake of the latter into the body, but also to its best absorption;

Iron is also found in. carrot tops in folk medicine known for its healing qualities and beneficial properties in relation to individual diseases, as well as the body as a whole.

• presence of essential oils. Oils have an enveloping effect on the stomach and can reduce coughing.

The beneficial properties of dogwood pits are directly related to the treatment of hemorrhoids. With this ailment, dogwood should be eaten directly with a bone, which dissolves easily in the stomach. It contains special substances that help strengthen blood vessels, including hemorrhoidal veins.

It should be noted that dried dogwood and dogwood jam have the same beneficial properties as fresh berries.

Cornel in any form retains all the beneficial properties of fresh berries

Contraindications

Despite the large number of medicinal properties of dogwood, it has not only useful properties, but also has a number of contraindications.
Dogwood should not be used in the following cases:

• increase in uterine tone. Berries have a strengthening effect on both the vessels and the uterus of a woman. Eating large amounts of dogwood can lead to premature birth. That is why the use of dogwood during pregnancy is not recommended;
• chronic constipation, stomach ulcers. Dogwood berries have a high content of acids, which can lead to deterioration and progression of the disease.
• individual intolerance. We must not forget that for allergy sufferers, before the start of increased use of any product, it is necessary to conduct tests in order to avoid an allergic reaction.

  Since the beneficial properties of dried dogwood are similar to those of fresh dogwood, it is logical to assume that both contraindications and possible harm from taking the product will also not differ.

  Dogwood - is it necessary?

  Dogwood berries have many medicinal properties. Their use is possible in a variety of ways: from fresh berries to jam.

  However, one should be aware that overdoing it with any useful product it is forbidden.

  Such an excess can provoke the appearance or progression of various diseases. In addition, before using dogwood, you need to understand if you have any contraindication to its use.

  Similar content

  
  

  
  

  
  

  About how dogwood looks like, how to plant these shrubs and how to care for them, you will learn by reading this material.

  What dogwood looks like: photo and description of the leaves and berries of the shrub

  The homeland of the dogwood tree is Southern Europe and South Africa, Asia Minor, China, Japan, North America. Its height reaches eight meters. One species grows in Russia - common dogwood, or male (C. mas). multi-barreled deciduous shrub 4-5 m high, very unpretentious, with simple, opposite, whole leaves and a dense oval crown. Green leaves dogwoods shine from above, and from below they are much lighter in color, they have adpressed scattered hairs. When describing the dogwood, it is worth noting that while its shoots are young, they have a greenish-yellow color, over time they become covered with cracking gray bark.

  As you can see in the photo, the dogwood flowers are small, bisexual, collected in umbellate inflorescences:

  

  Cornel blossoms from April until the leaves appear. The dogwood fruit is a drupe up to 3 cm long, dark red, ripens in late August - early September. It is generally accepted that its fruits are red, but they can be black, pink, yellow and other colors. Fruit weight 3 - 6 g. Plants are not frost-resistant enough, in conditions middle lane in harsh winters the tops of the shoots freeze. In case of death of the aerial part, the plant is easily restored by growth. It is recommended to spud soil as high as possible for the winter.

  Dogwood growth increases over the years. It grows well in urban conditions, tolerates haircuts, and is durable.

  

  Dogwood- this is a wonderful ornamental plant, and its fruits with delicate fragrant pulp contain a large amount of vitamins, sugars, free acids and pectin.

  Consume fruits in fresh, and also make jam, marmalade, jam, compote, jelly, sweets from them. It has been used in folk medicine since ancient times. Dogwood should take a prominent place in ornamental gardening. It looks especially good in group and single landings as well as in hedgerows. Prefers calcareous, rocky soils.

  Conditions for growing a dogwood tree

  Dogwood is a heat-loving and light-loving plant, but it also puts up with a light shadow. It is most successfully grown in regions with a fairly mild climate. In the conditions of central Russia, dogwood winters successfully, since it is able to withstand frosts down to -30 ° C. However, here its fruits ripen in a warm summer with little rain. Therefore, in the Middle lane, dogwood is grown as an ornamental plant, even on the streets of cities. At the latitude of St. Petersburg, dogwood needs to be covered for the winter, and its fruits ripen only if the autumn is warm enough.

  Dogwood is not particularly demanding on the mechanical composition of the soil, and on its fertility. AT wild nature it can grow on any land - dry, stony, calcareous. But still dogwood prefers light clay, nutrient-rich, well-drained soils. On acidic soils, dogwood grows worse, although the application of lime improves the growth and fruiting of the plant. When growing and caring for dogwood the best option there will be calcium-rich, fertile soil with a neutral reaction.

  Although the plant is drought tolerant, it prefers moderately moist soils. If the drought lasts for a long time, then the dogwood leaves curl up in a boat, reducing the evaporating surface. And although dogwood is found in the wild in river valleys, it does not tolerate stagnant water.

  Before growing dogwood, prepare the south or southwest side of the site, not shaded by buildings. On a personal plot, it is enough to have 2–3 dogwood plants planted in a row every 2–2.5 m in a well-protected and heated place.

  How to plant dogwood (with video)

  Before planting dogwood, you need to prepare the soil - the same as for currants. The distance when planting dogwood in a row is 2.5–3 m with a row spacing of 3 m. landing pits can be prepared from autumn or early spring 1-2 weeks before planting. Planting pits 50–80 cm wide and 40–50 cm deep are covered with fertilized soil of the humus horizon. Ready hole needs to be filled up fertile soil taken out of the pit and mixed with humus in a ratio of 2: 1. Dogwood seedlings should be placed at the same depth as they grew in the nursery. After planting, it is good to water the plants, mulch the surface of the earth with a layer of 3-5 cm thick. It is not necessary to cut off the aerial part, since the seedlings have a well-branched fibrous root system and get along well. Not bad before planting and caring for the dogwood, lower the root system of the seedling into the Kornevin growth regulator solution for 10-12 hours.

  Dogwood seedlings with this planting technique take root quite quickly and painlessly.

  Dogwood seedlings are grown in a low stem (30–50 cm) form. In grafted plants, the height of boles increases to 50–70 cm. It is better to grow dogwood in a bush form, leaving 5–7 of the strongest branches on each plant. The main type of pruning is thinning. Cut out basal, thickening crown, as well as diseased, rubbing, broken and improperly located branches and shoots.

  Mature, dark-colored dogwood fruits are harvested from branches or from the ground after they have fallen. Fruits collected with stalks are better stored. Long-term fresh storage is possible at a temperature of about 1–2 °C.

  

  It is advisable to purchase dogwood seedlings in a good nursery. It is best to take 1-2-year-old garden dogwood seedlings 110–140 cm high with a bole diameter of approximately 12–16 mm. A good seedling should have at least 3-5 side shoots, bark smooth without damage. Biennial seedlings of the dogwood tree usually have flowering ovaries. They are larger and rounder than regular leaf buds.

  Particular attention should be paid to the roots of the seedling, they should not be dry. It is very good if there is a wet clod of earth on the roots. In its absence, the root system of the dogwood seedling must be packed in a bag with wet sawdust and tied to maintain moisture.

  Watch the video "Planting dogwood" to correctly perform this agricultural technique:

  How to grow dogwood and how to care for it

  Watering

  Most types of dogwood are drought tolerant and do not like waterlogging. However, in dry summers, it is recommended to water the shrub 1-2 times a month, 8 liters per plant. When caring for dogwood during watering, water should not be allowed to get on the leaves to avoid sunburn.

  loosening

  The root system of the dogwood is located quite close to the surface. Therefore, loosening and other activities related to soil cultivation should be carried out with the greatest care. Otherwise, you can damage the root system of the plant. First, weeds are removed, and then the soil is loosened to a depth of 10–15 cm. Near the stem, tillage is carried out to a depth of no more than 3–5 cm. The feeding area of ​​one dogwood bush is 4–5 m.

  Fertilizer

  In the spring, a full mineral fertilizer is applied under the dogwood. You can use Kemira wagon at the rate of 100 - 120 g / m2. good effect also gives a solution of urea (20 - 30 g of the substance per 10 liters of water).

  During the growing season, add to the soil nitrogen fertilizers. Before flowering, 60 g of granular superphosphate and 10–15 g of potassium sulfate are added per 1 m2. At the end of summer - at the beginning of autumn, dogwood is fed with potash fertilizers. In addition, dogwood responds well to the introduction of wood ash. From time to time, humus or compost is added to the soil. As already noted, dogwood prefers alkaline soils. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out liming periodically: add lime, chalk, crushed shells, etc. to the soil.

  When growing and caring for dogwood, young seedlings are strongly discouraged from fertilizing and feeding during dry periods. To assimilate nutrients contained in fertilizers, the plant needs water. During a drought, the soil is not moist enough, and due to the intensive evaporation of water, the concentration of salts also increases in it. Young plants still have few suction roots, so even in normal conditions they hardly provide the plant with moisture. In drought, it becomes even more difficult for them. Fertilizers also increase the salt content in the soil. If you carry out top dressing during the drought period, then there will be more salts in the soil than in the cells of the plant. In this case, moisture will stop flowing into the roots. Moreover, the "oversalted" earth itself will draw water from the plant. As a result, the bush will wither and die. Therefore, in a drought, a young dogwood should not be fertilized, but watered.

  Pruning shrubs dogwood (with video)

  Dogwood is best formed as a shrub. In this case, after planting in a permanent place, the seedling is cut at a height of 40 cm from the soil surface. In the future, 3-4 branches are formed on the stem of the shrub, directed in different directions. These shoots will become the main skeletal branches, which will begin to grow new ones.

  Due to the fact that the dogwood branches strongly, pruning in the future comes down mainly to thinning the crown, and first of all to the removal of small branches that have suspended their growth. At the same time, dry branches and emerging tops are removed. When forming a bush, the central conductor is removed in the second year.

  Pruning should be done in early spring, since the dogwood "weeps", like some other plants. In the case of a decrease in fruiting, a decrease in the formation of basal shoots, and drying of branches in early spring, it is necessary to rejuvenate the plant. When pruned to a stump, the plant produces strong basal shoots up to 2 m high.

  The video "Pruning dogwood" shows how to properly form shrubs:

  Diseases and pests of dogwood

  In some years, real outbreaks of mass reproduction of insect pests are observed. This is due to two factors. Firstly, a combination of the most favorable weather conditions for this type. Secondly, the decrease in the number predatory insects- natural enemies of pests.

  Rust

  

  A fungal disease that causes yellowish and rusty brown spots on the leaves. Over time, the affected tissues die.

  Control measures:

  1. Removal and destruction of the affected parts of the plant.

  2. Spraying 1% Bordeaux liquid (100 g of substance per 10 liters of water) or other fungicides. The first time the plants are treated when signs of rust appear. This usually happens in the middle of summer. Subsequent sprayings are carried out at intervals of 15 to 20 days. The last time dogwood can be treated for this disease is no later than 20 days before harvest.

  Chervets

  

  Sucking insect, transparent white, pinkish or greenish in color. The body is oval, covered with a white cottony coating. Setae are located along the edges of the body.

  The female mealybug is wingless, but very mobile and prolific. For a year it is born from 2 or more generations of mealybugs. Eggs are not afraid of water. The insect lives in the axils of the leaves, on the root neck and roots, on young shoots.

  In the affected plant, development slows down, leaves and buds fall, shoots are bent.

  Control measures:

  1. Regular inspection of plants, timely removal and destruction of dried parts.

  2. When a pest appears, the plant is sprayed with soapy water. 3 - 4 times a month, spraying with tobacco solution, garlic infusion or green soap solution (15 g of soap per 1 liter of water) is carried out.

  3. In case of severe damage, spraying with insecticides is carried out.

  Varieties of common dogwood: photo and description

  Here you can find photos and descriptions of dogwood varieties of different ripening periods.

  For central Russia, early ripening dogwood varieties are considered the most promising.

  Early

  

  Alyosha. Winter-hardy variety the earliest ripening period, resistant to diseases due to the absence of pathogens. Its oval fruits weighing 3.5–5 g (weight varies depending on weather conditions), bright yellow color, with thin skin.

  

  Elena. Winter-hardy variety that can withstand frosts down to -35 ° C, early ripening, disease resistant. This variety of dogwood berries has large sweet berries with a thin skin, dark red color, rounded oval shape. Unlike other red-fruited varieties, the fruits of this variety are never black. Berries must be harvested on time, because, when overripe, they crumble.

  

  Nikolka. high yielding variety very early maturity, disease resistant. The berries are slightly flattened, weighing 5.8-6 g, with a thin skin, pear-shaped, fragrant with a sweet-sour taste. Their color from the beginning of maturation has a dark red, almost black color. Berries must be removed on time, otherwise they crumble.

  

  Elegant. High-yielding undersized variety of early ripening. When describing this variety of dogwood, it is worth noting that it is very resistant to adverse weather conditions and to illness. Table fruits ripen in the first decade of August, in some years - at the end of July.

  Pay attention to the photo - in the dogwood tree of this variety, mature fruits are cherry-black, bottle-shaped, with a thin neck, of medium size (4.5–5 g):

  

  They have a sweet and sour taste with aroma. Fruits not collected in time wither and hang on a tree, without crumbling, until frost.

  

  Variety Bukovinskiy- with oval-cylindrical yellow fruits weighing 3.5-4 g. Fruit shedding is insignificant. Yield and weight of fruits varies depending on weather conditions.

  

  Variety Vyshgorodsky especially valuable for fresh use, tk. fruits ripen early, have a sweet and sour taste, contain a lot of vitamin C (up to 121 mg%).

  Look at the photo - the dogwood berries of this variety are dark cherry, the flesh is bright red:

  

  In dry years, the fruits shrink, need watering and care.

  Variety Grenadier exceptionally beautiful, fragrant, tasty, oval-cylindrical fruits with a narrowed neck, red-black already at the beginning of ripening. Used for processing into jams, preserves, marmalade and candied fruits.

  

  Variety Joy- early ripening, fruits are dark red, oval-pear-shaped, weighing 5.5 g, the pulp is slightly acidic, red-pink.

  Mid-season

  

  Vladimirsky. High yielding winter hardy drought-resistant variety average term of maturing, universal appointment, a grade is steady against diseases. Its beautiful and shiny fruits with a sweet and sour taste, large (7.5 g), black and red from the very beginning of ripening, hold well on the branches. The shape of the fruits of this variety of dogwood is oval-cylindrical, somewhat flattened on both sides.

  

  Gentle. High-yielding yellow-fruited variety of medium ripening, resistant to diseases. Fruits stably and annually, original pear-shaped fruits of universal purpose. Berries of medium size: weight 4.5–5.5 g, length 32–35.5 mm, with a sweet taste. During the period of full maturation, the stone shines through the thin skin.

  

  Firefly. Winter-hardy drought-resistant variety of medium ripening, resistant to diseases.

  As you can see in the photo, this dogwood variety has large mature berries ( average weight 6.5–7.5 g), bottle-shaped, with a thickened neck, red-black, sweet-sour, fragrant:

  

  The variety bears fruit annually, fruits of universal purpose, do not crumble when ripe.

  Late

  

  Priorsky. Late maturing variety. It bears dark red pear-shaped fruits weighing up to 5–6 g. The taste is sweet and sour.

  

  Variety Semyon. Winter-hardy drought-resistant variety with late deadline maturation, resistant to diseases. It brings large fragrant and shiny fruits up to 21 mm long and weighing up to 0.7 g, dark cherry color, sweet and sour taste.

  Plant dogwood (lat. Cornus) belongs to the genus of the dogwood family, the representatives of which in nature number about fifty. Most often these are deciduous woody plants - shrubs or trees, but sometimes they are herbaceous perennials or woody winter green plants. The genus Kizil is made up of four subgenera. The word "kizil", borrowed from the Turkic language, means "red" - apparently, by the color of the berries of the most famous type of dogwood. Plants of this genus are widespread in Eastern and Southern Europe, the Caucasus, Asia Minor, China and Japan. People began to cultivate dogwood a very long time ago: even the Romans and the ancient Greeks were engaged in the selection the best forms plants for cultivation in gardens and, as Virgil claimed, not without success. In the middle lane, dogwood began to be grown in the 17th century, under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, a great lover of all kinds of plant curiosities, and interest in dogwood was caused by the extreme usefulness of its fruits, which were used in those days in the form of a decoction. The first settlers to America used dogwood to brush their teeth, and American natives used it to make arrows. Later, shuttles for weaving equipment began to be made from very hard cornelian wood, doorknobs, handles for hammers, tennis rackets. It is claimed that even the Holy Cross was made of dogwood. Pacific dogwood flower - official flower British Columbia, a province in Canada, and Blooming tree dogwood is the official tree of the US states of Missouri and Virginia.

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  Planting and caring for dogwood (in short)

  • Landing: autumn, at the very beginning of leaf fall.
  • Bloom: in April-May.
  • Lighting: penumbra.
  • The soil: rich in lime. Groundwater on the site should lie no higher than 1.5 m.
  • Watering: moderate and regular.
  • Top dressing: in the first half of the growing season, the fertilizer should be dominated by the nitrogen component, in the second half - by the potash one.
  • Pruning: regular, during the dormant period - in late winter or early spring.
  • Reproduction: green cuttings, layering, grafting or seeds.
  • Pests: snail bugs and caterpillars-multicolors.
  • Diseases: rust, powdery mildew, leaf spot.

  Read more about growing dogwood below.

  Dogwood shrub - description

  The most famous representative of the genus is the common dogwood shrub, or male dogwood, up to 2.5 m high with shiny red-orange hanging shoots that easily root when in contact with the soil, bright green opposite or alternate leaves and milky white flowers collected in inflorescences. up to 5 cm in diameter, which bloom in May and bloom for two weeks. Dogwood fruits with one or two seeds, ripening from August to October, vary in both shape and color. In cultivated forms, they reach a length of 3 cm, the shape is usually elongated-cylindrical, however, there are also species with almost round, like cherries, fruits, as well as barrel-shaped and even pear-shaped. The color of the fruit is usually bright red, but forms with pink, yellow, purple and even black berries are known. And the taste of dogwood berries differ: they can be sweet, tart or tart-sweet, juicy or dryish. The plant itself can be formed both in the form of a bush and in the form of a tree. Dogwood is quite frost-resistant, but at a temperature of -30 ºC, the ends of the shoots freeze over. The dogwood bush lives for more than a hundred years.

  Planting dogwood

  When to plant dogwood

  The time when the time has come to plant dogwood is easy to guess - as soon as the poplar leaves begin to fall. Planting dogwood in autumn is preferable to spring because in spring you will have to plant dogwood in a very short time period between how the earth warms up and sometimes when dogwood buds begin to bloom. Choose a semi-shady area for dogwood with lime-rich soil on the south or southwest side, on which groundwater is no higher than one and a half meters. Dogwood also grows in acidic soils, but this negatively affects both its development and the quality of the crop. Dogwood is located no closer than 3-5 meters from the fence, buildings and other trees. In order for the dogwood to bear fruit, it must have a couple in the garden, and preferably two, and they should be placed no further than 3-5 meters from each other.

  

  How to plant dogwood

  Dogwood seedlings ready for planting should be two years old, about 1.5 m high, with a trunk diameter of about 2 cm, they should have 3-5 skeletal branches. Dogwood planting is carried out in a hole with a diameter and depth of about 80 cm. Having dug a hole, drive a stake into it, to which you will then tie the seedling. The stake is driven in from the side where the wind usually blows. The upper, fertile layer of soil, taken out of the pit, mix with humus and mineral fertilizers, pour a hill out of it in the center of the pit, place a dogwood sapling on the hill, carefully straighten its roots, fill the pit with fertile soil with fertilizers, supporting the sapling so that its root neck is 3-4 cm above the level of the plot. Water the seedling with three buckets of water, and when it is absorbed, the soil will settle and the neck will be flush with the surface, cut the shoots of the seedling to a third of the length, tie it to a support and mulch trunk circle humus or dry soil from the lower, less fertile soil layer.

  dogwood care

  How to grow dogwood in the garden

  Planting and caring for dogwood is not much different from planting and caring for any other fruit shrub- wild rose or barberry, for example. Dogwood care consists in watering, loosening the soil on the site, removing weeds from it, pruning the shoots of the plant and top dressing. The peculiarity of dogwood is that there is no periodicity in its fruiting, that is, it produces a crop annually. The laying of next year's crop is carried out in May-June current year, and until the end of the vegetative period, flower buds that form simultaneously with the growth of shoots must be finally formed. That is why it is so important to water and fertilize dogwood in a timely manner. In order for the water not to spread over the site, but to go to the superficially located root system, make a circular furrow around the bush and pour water into it. Try to maintain a balance in moisturizing the dogwood: there should be enough water, but excessive watering is unacceptable. After watering, the soil on the site is loosened no deeper than 8-10 cm, while getting rid of weeds. As for top dressing, in the first half of the season, fertilizers with a nitrogen-phosphorus component are used, and in the second they focus on potash - for example, wood ash is added to the soil. Dogwood responds well to compost and humus, but the most important thing for the growth and fruiting of dogwood is the presence of calcium in the soil - keep this in mind.

  

  dogwood pruning

  Growing dogwood involves regular pruning of shrubs. In winter or early spring, during the dormant period, remove from the bush all damaged, dry and frostbitten branches that are easy prey for fungi or harmful insects. Before cutting the branch, dip the scissors in a 1:3 bleach solution so as not to transfer pathogens that may have settled on the dogwood to healthy branches. Shorten or cut to the base stems that are too old to encourage new shoots to grow. Cut out branches and shoots growing inside the bush. If your bush is grafted, remove all shoots below the grafting site. You most likely won’t have to do a formative pruning, since the plant has a natural beautiful crown.

  Dogwood pests and diseases

  As a rule, dogwood is not affected by pests or diseases. But sometimes, extremely rarely, the plant suffers from fungal disease rust, manifested by yellow spots on the leaves. Destroy the fungus by treating the plant with Bordeaux liquid. Dogwood is also rarely affected by powdery mildew, which is fought with colloidal sulfur, as well as spotting, against which dogwood is treated with the same Bordeaux mixture. Of the pests, the dogwood snail bug and the multicolor caterpillar can be disturbed - the first is destroyed by treating the plant with lime, and the second - with Parisian greens.

  

  Dogwood in the Moscow region

  For some reason, it is customary to think that dogwood does not take root in Moscow and the Moscow region, but this is not true. Plant breeders have bred plant varieties that can tolerate thirty-degree frosts, so dogwood develops normally and bears fruit abundantly even in the middle zone. Planting and caring for dogwood in the Moscow region is no different from growing a plant, for example, in Stavropol or Ukraine. Sometimes, however, the ends of its young shoots freeze over in winter, so they have to be cut off in the spring. In order to avoid such unpleasant surprises, young dogwood for the winter should be covered with burlap for several years, and the near-stem circle of dogwood, both young and adult, should be mulched for the winter with a thick layer of peat or humus.

  dogwood breeding

  How to propagate dogwood

  In amateur gardening, dogwood is propagated mainly vegetatively, but seed propagation is also quite possible.

  Growing dogwood from the bone

  Dogwood bones are cleaned of pulp and placed in wet moss or sawdust for a whole year, constantly maintaining a humid environment - in this way the seeds are stratified before sowing. The dogwood bone does not break up into cotyledons, so it should be immersed in the soil by no more than 3 cm. Unstratified seeds germinate only after two years, and not all of them. Stratified seeds germinate in the year of sowing. Seed care is normal: watering, fertilizing, weeding, at the very beginning of growth, shading from scorching rays. During the first year, seedlings grow only up to 3-4 cm, by the end of the second - up to 10-15 cm, and in autumn they can be planted in open ground in a nursery. Dogwood fructifies from seeds only after 7-10 years.

  

  For seed propagation they use the bones of wild dogwood species, then, when young seedlings grow out of them, they are used as rootstocks for cultivated dogwood species.

  Propagation of dogwood cuttings

  Only green cuttings from bushes no younger than 5-6 years old are suitable for cuttings of dogwood - lignified cuttings take root very poorly. Cuttings 10-15 cm long are cut early in the morning from shoots in the active growth phase, each should have a well-developed growth point and two pairs of leaves. Cuttings after cutting immediately put in the water. The oblique lower cut should pass below the kidney by half a centimeter-centimeter. Before planting, the cuttings are deprived of the lower pair of leaves and kept for six to twelve hours in a three percent solution of heteroauxin. Then they are washed, planted at an angle of 45º in shady place, into the soil, sprinkled on top with a layer of well-washed sand 7-10 cm thick, and covered with polyethylene so that there is a backlash of 15-20 cm between the film and the cuttings. After planting, the cuttings are watered, and in further ground contain in a slightly damp state, avoiding direct contact with cuttings sun rays. It is necessary to water the site through a fine sieve so that the water does not flow in a stream, but splashes. The temperature under the film should be about 25 ºC, and as soon as it rises above, lift the film to ventilate. The cuttings take root in two to three weeks, after which they begin to harden - this will take about two weeks of time, then the film is removed, and the strengthened cuttings are fed with liquid ammonium nitrate(30 g per bucket of water). The next autumn, the bushes are planted in a permanent place.

  

  Dogwood propagation by grafting

  Budding is carried out in August-September on two-year-old seedlings of wild dogwood planted and rooted, and used as a scion. cultivars plants. With a sharp knife an incision is made on the rootstock crosswise - horizontally and vertically, and the vertical incision is made up to 3 cm deep. A bud with bark, leaf petiole and part of the wood is cut from the scion, inserted into a vertical incision, carefully pushing the bark on it to the side, and fix the scion with budding tape (you can use stationery tape). After two or three weeks, if you did everything right, the petiole will fall off. In October, the film can be removed. Emerging rootstock shoots must be removed.

  Dogwood propagation by layering

  Horizontal arcuate annual shoots are used as layering. In the spring, as soon as the soil warms up, dig it around the dogwood bush with the addition of fertilizers, level it, make grooves in it, bend down and lay the intended shoots in them, pin them and sprinkle them in the place of attachment with soil, and pinch the tops. When green shoots 10-12 cm high develop at the attachment points at the layering, sprinkle them up to half with earth, after 2-3 weeks, when the shoots add the same amount in growth, sprinkle them up to half again. autumn or next spring cuttings are separated from mother plant and planted in a permanent place.

  

  Dogwood propagation by dividing the bush

  This method is resorted to when you have to transplant a dogwood bush to a new place. In the spring, before the buds swell, or in the fall, a month before the frost, the dogwood is dug up, all old branches are removed from it, the root system is carefully freed from the soil and the bush is cut into several approximately equal parts, each of which has good roots and a healthy aerial part. Before planting, the old roots are cut out, the rest are slightly shortened.

  Dogwood is also propagated by root offspring, if they grow from a rooted plant, the shoots are separated from the bush and transplanted to a new place. In a grafted plant, root shoots grow from a rootstock - a wild type of dogwood, you are unlikely to need it.

  Types and varieties of dogwood

  Common dogwood (Cornus mas)

  Most known species genus - dogwood ordinary description which we have already given. We only add that the most popular forms of dogwood are:

  • Pyramidalis- dogwood with a pyramidal crown shape;
  • Nana- dogwood dwarf with a spherical crown;
  • Variegata- dogwood with leaves bordered with a white stripe;
  • Aurea- dogwood with golden leaves;
  • Aurea variegata- dogwood with yellow variegated leaves.

  

  White dogwood (Cornus alba)

  also a very common species in culture, which in natural conditions found in China, Japan, Korea and almost throughout Russia. It is a shrub up to 3 m high with flexible, thin branches mainly red-orange color, although there are forms with black-red and red-brown branches. Its young shoots are covered with a bluish bloom. The leaves of plants of this species are broadly ovate, slightly wrinkled, 10-12 cm long, dark green on the upper side of the plate, whitish below, in autumn they turn dark red-lilac. Small white flowers up to 5 cm in diameter, collected in corymbose inflorescences, abundantly cover the bush in the first half of summer and again in early autumn. White spherical fruits with a blue tint ripen just in time for the second flowering of the white dogwood. This species has many decorative forms:

  • silver bordered- a plant with a creamy-white border along the leaves, which turn from green to carmine red in autumn. The color of the bark is also red. Bush height 2-3 m;
  • elegantissima- a very winter-hardy fast-growing form of dogwood up to 3 m high with spectacular red shoots that catch the eye in winter, and leaves with uneven cream edging, spots and stripes;
  • Siberian Aurea- bush 1.5-2 m high with gently yellow leaves on erect red shoots and creamy white flowers, sometimes blooming again in autumn, simultaneously with the ripening of bluish fruits;
  • Siberian Variegata- a dogwood of two meters in height with a wide creamy-white border, stripes and spots on the leaves, which change the green background to purple in autumn, and the border and specks remain cream. Shoots in winter retain a red-coral color of the bark. This plant bears fruit poorly, grows slowly, very suitable for small gardens.

  

  Red dogwood, or blood red (Cornus sanguinea)

  grows in the undergrowth of deciduous and mixed forests, along the banks of rivers and lakes from the Baltic to the lower reaches of the Don and from southern Scandinavia to the Balkans. This is a deciduous shrub up to 4 m high with a branched crown and drooping shoots. different colors- green, red, purple. Its leaves are round, ovate, bright green with fine pubescence on the upper side and densely pubescent, and therefore whitish, on the lower side. Leaves turn bright red in autumn. Small, dull, whitish flowers are corymbose many-flowered inflorescences up to 7 cm in diameter. They bloom for 15-20 days. Numerous black fruits look elegant and contrast against the background of bright red leaves. Decorative forms of red dogwood:

  • The greenest- with shoots, leaves and fruits of green color;
  • Variegata- a shrub up to 4 m high with variegated yellow leaves and pale green young shoots that become burgundy with age. The fruits are blue-black;
  • Dogwood Mitch- the leaves of this form are pale yellow in small spots.

  

  Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)

  native to eastern North America. This is a deciduous tree with a spreading dense crown that blooms before the leaves bloom. autumn foliage bright red. Varieties:

  • Cherokee Chief- tree height 4-6 m, red-pink bracts;
  • Rubra- bracts from light pink to bright red, bush height 4-6 m.

  

  Cornel offspring (Cornus stolonifera)

  also from North America, where it grows in moist forests along the banks of streams, climbing to a height of 450 to 2700 m above sea level. The species is close to the white dogwood, but differs primarily in the ability to give a lot of offspring around the bush. It is a shrub up to 2.5 m high with red-coral shiny shoots, bright green leaves, milky-white flowers collected in inflorescences up to 5 cm in diameter and bluish-white fruits. decorative forms dogwood offspring are:

  • White-bordered, to which the variety belongs White Gold- shrub of medium height with a white border around the edges of green leaves;
  • Flaviramea- fast growing shrub round shape a bush 2-3 m high and wide. Its bark is yellow in winter and spring, and yellowish-green in summer and autumn. The foliage is green, reddish in autumn, but not all - many leaves do not change color;
  • Kelsey – dwarf shrub no more than a meter high and up to one and a half meters wide with reddish or bright green bark and green leaves that do not fall until late autumn, although changing color to orange or dark red.

  

  Dogwood Coase (Cornus kousa)

  grows naturally in Japan and China. This is a winter-hardy deciduous shrub up to 9 m in height with graceful graceful bracts. In autumn, the leaves turn bright red. Varieties:

  • Gold Star- green leaves with a yellow pattern, bush height 5-7 m;
  • Milky Way- a tall bush, creamy white bracts.

  

  There are a number of creeping dogwoods, which botanists distinguish into a separate genus - Swedish and Canadian dogwoods, the Svida genus, which includes Georgian and Meyer dogwoods, stands apart.

  Dogwood properties - harm and benefit

  Useful properties of dogwood

  When the medicinal properties of dogwood are described in the literature, they mean, first of all, plants of the common dogwood species. What is dogwood useful for, and what properties does it actually have? First, its fruits contain vitamin C in large quantities than lemon, and have an antiscorbutic effect, therefore, dogwood fruits are used to make a paste for astronauts and seafarers. Secondly, the tannins contained in the fruits hold the stool together. Berries are also useful for patients with diabetes, as they lower blood sugar levels and increase the activity of the pancreas to produce the necessary enzyme. Dogwood has anti-inflammatory, choleretic, diuretic, bactericidal and astringent action. Dogwood berries increase appetite, improve digestion, normalize blood pressure, relieve headaches, and speed up metabolic processes in the body. Dogwood is used in the treatment of cystitis, gout, skin diseases, swelling of the legs, inflammation of the veins, intestinal diseases, including diarrhea and dysentery. It must be said that not only the fruits of dogwood have healing qualities, but also its flowers, bark, leaves and roots.

  We offer you a few recipes that can help out in difficult times:

  Decoction of dogwood fruits: Pour a tablespoon of dried berries with a glass of water, boil over low heat for 20 minutes, then leave for 2 hours, strain and take a quarter cup 3 times a day before meals for beriberi.

  A decoction of cornel bark and roots: pour a teaspoon of crushed roots and bark with a glass of water and boil for 15 minutes, then insist for two hours, strain and drink for rheumatism 3 times a day, 2 tablespoons.

  , Fruit and berry plants ,