I have received 9cm pot. Plant is about 6" high with no foliage and obviously dormant. Do I plant it out or over winter it till Spring? Don't want to lose it. Any help appreciated.
Many thanks @nutcutlet. I will do what you advise as it doesn't look as though it would survive a bad winter. I saw a photo of one, I think on this website, and really fancied having one for the colour.
Check the roots. If they're at the edge of the pot or poking out, pot it on and keep it sheltered. Keep it in a pot till it's at least 30cm high and give it room when you do plant it.
As Nut says, they are not as robust as their cousins. I find they are twiggy and more fragile and don't respond well to a major trim each year. Better, once it reaches a decent size, to remove a third of the stems each year back to the base and just trim the rest lightly.
The other thing is that once they're happy they will sucker like mad.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Hi @Obelixx Thank you for all that advice. I will pot it on as the roots are showing. I shall look forward to when it's "happy". I think it will be some time before it reaches 30cm high.
I had two in my last garden. The stem colour is gorgeous on fresh stems and the foliage colours are good all thru their season.
I decided that the one in the back was badly placed for low winter sun and decided to move it. This was a success and the shrub grew well and looked great. However, I must have missed some straying roots as the following year I had several babies popping up around the original position. I dug them out and potted them up and gave some away. Thi sacrrie son and on. Eventually I double dug that area and cleared the lot and planted a new "winter bed" in the far end of the garden where they could sucker away to their hearts content.
In this garden I'm sticking with cornus alba sibirica which has stronger stems, a brighter red colour and a lesser suckering habit.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Hi @Obelixx It was the colour that attracted me to them. Very interesting to read your experience of them. It will be some time yet before I can see any babies but shall look forward to it. Maybe I should have chosen corpus alba sibirica. Time will tell. Many thanks for your post.
I had 4 in my last garden - the green stemmed one, the burgundy one with variegated foliage and sibirica and midwinter. Sibirica has the most striking winter stem colour and very good autumn foliage and lots of creamy flowers. The burgundy (elegantissima?) had the best summer foliage. The green one didn't like it's original spot and "migrated" towards more sunshine and light as other shrubs and small trees grew around it and gave it shade - combination of suckering and layering to move about. They all lend themselves to layering as a means of propagation.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
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In the sticks near Peterborough
In the sticks near Peterborough
As Nut says, they are not as robust as their cousins. I find they are twiggy and more fragile and don't respond well to a major trim each year. Better, once it reaches a decent size, to remove a third of the stems each year back to the base and just trim the rest lightly.
The other thing is that once they're happy they will sucker like mad.
I decided that the one in the back was badly placed for low winter sun and decided to move it. This was a success and the shrub grew well and looked great. However, I must have missed some straying roots as the following year I had several babies popping up around the original position. I dug them out and potted them up and gave some away. Thi sacrrie son and on. Eventually I double dug that area and cleared the lot and planted a new "winter bed" in the far end of the garden where they could sucker away to their hearts content.
In this garden I'm sticking with cornus alba sibirica which has stronger stems, a brighter red colour and a lesser suckering habit.