Thanks so much for the advice everyone. Actually the base of the plant has about a foot of shrubby looking old wood (best way I can describe it). This makes me wonder if it is a cornus, because the ones Ive seen pics of seem to have stems coming straight from the ground. If it IS a cornus, I presume I can't cut the old wood down to the ground, or can I? Or is there anything else it could be??
the stems only come straight from the ground if you cut them back. Otherwise you just get mature wood which is not coloured. You can cut it back as far as you like.
There's no doubt it's a cornus. Which one is still a question.
I shouldn't think so, theyre quite tough. The newest growth you have now will show you what colour stems you'll get if you cut them back. They look nice and redin your pic.
Sounds as if in the past someone has been cutting it back but not far enough, so it's developed a sort of a 'trunk' of older wood - that's what the ones at work were like, as the 'groundsmen' were cutting them back but not far enough (they were also doing it in the autumn - but that's another story!!!) Anyway, since that was noticed the site manager has insisted that they are cut right down in the spring to leave just a very short stump - looks a bit sad for a couple of weeks and then new growth starts from the stump and then in the autumn we get autumn colour in the leaves which then fall to leave amazing red stems.
Yours is definitely a cornus - be brave and cut it right back in the spring and you'll have a lovely patch of colour in the winter - post a pic of the coloured stems next winter and we can have a go at identifying which cornus you've got
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I get weed cornus popping up in the middle of other things where I don't want them. They only have boring green new stems and brown old stems. They aren't easy to dig up and when I cut them down they get more vigorous. I hope yours is a nice one and not one like mine.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
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Thanks so much for the advice everyone. Actually the base of the plant has about a foot of shrubby looking old wood (best way I can describe it). This makes me wonder if it is a cornus, because the ones Ive seen pics of seem to have stems coming straight from the ground. If it IS a cornus, I presume I can't cut the old wood down to the ground, or can I?
Or is there anything else it could be??
the stems only come straight from the ground if you cut them back. Otherwise you just get mature wood which is not coloured. You can cut it back as far as you like.
There's no doubt it's a cornus. Which one is still a question.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Ahh ok, that makes sense. And If I cut the old wood back to the ground it wont die?
I shouldn't think so, theyre quite tough. The newest growth you have now will show you what colour stems you'll get if you cut them back. They look nice and redin your pic.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Sounds as if in the past someone has been cutting it back but not far enough, so it's developed a sort of a 'trunk' of older wood - that's what the ones at work were like, as the 'groundsmen' were cutting them back but not far enough (they were also doing it in the autumn - but that's another story!!!) Anyway, since that was noticed the site manager has insisted that they are cut right down in the spring to leave just a very short stump - looks a bit sad for a couple of weeks and then new growth starts from the stump and then in the autumn we get autumn colour in the leaves which then fall to leave amazing red stems.
Yours is definitely a cornus - be brave and cut it right back in the spring and you'll have a lovely patch of colour in the winter - post a pic of the coloured stems next winter and we can have a go at identifying which cornus you've got
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I get weed cornus popping up in the middle of other things where I don't want them. They only have boring green new stems and brown old stems. They aren't easy to dig up and when I cut them down they get more vigorous. I hope yours is a nice one and not one like mine.
Thanks Nut and Dove. I will be brave and cut them right back in Spring. How exciting. I look forward to seeing what happens!