Cornelian Cherry Hedge Plants

• Variety: Cornelian Cherry, the edible Dogwood
• Latin name: Cornus mas
• Sold as: Bareroot plants, 60/80cm tall
• Ultimate size: 2.5 to 4m tall and as much across, in 10 to 20 years
• Growth rate: Slow
• Flowers: Tiny, bright yellow, in clusters on bare wood in late winter
• Fruit: Glossy red, edible and sharp
• Autumn colour: Purple
• Pruning: Little needed. Do not coppice it
• Position: Sun or partial shade. The more sun, the more flowers
• Soil: Any well-drained soil, chalk included
• Uses: Informal flowering hedge, hedgerow or specimen
• Thorns: None
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators. One of the first flowers of the year for bees
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Cornelian Cherry carries clusters of tiny yellow flowers on its bare branches in late winter, earlier than almost anything else. Glossy red, sharp-tasting fruit follows, and the leaves turn purple in autumn. It is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list.

Cornelian Cherry Hedge Plants

Cornus mas, the Cornelian Cherry, or edible dogwood, is a small tree or large shrub and is ideal as either a specimen or as part of a mixed hedge. It flowers early in the year (which is great for bees), usually starting in February, sometimes January, with loads of small, yellow, witch hazel-like flowers appearing on the bare branches. It looks fantastic when the morning or afternoon sun is behind it and shines through the branches. The flowers ripen into bright red, acidic, edible cherry-like fruits, which give this tree its common name of Cornelian Cherry (Cornel is another word for dogwood). The leaves turn a lovely reddish-purple in the autumn to finish off the show: it doesn't have brightly coloured new bark, but mature plants have moderately interesting, flaky brown bark. All of which make it one of those "three tricks in one" garden plants that help create year round interest.

It can reach 5 metres if it's pruned into a tree, but about 3 metres is typical for a shrub in the wild.

Browse all of our other varieties of Dogwood, our selection of shrub hedging or our full range of hedging plants.

Delivery season: Cornelian Cherries are delivered bareroot from late autumn to early spring, November to April.

Growing Edible Dogwood

Dogwoods are tough shrubs that thrive in damp soils near water, but once established are also fine in dry, poor soil. They won't flower much in more than partial shade, so if you are planting them as a specimen, the more sun the better.

To be clear, this dogwood should not be hard pruned down to ground level every spring as you would with an ornamental dogwood like midwinter fire, although it's fine to hard prune it if it gets overgrown.

History & Trivia

Formerly classified as Cornus mascula, four of its cultivars hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit, but the plain species does not.
Little is known of its origins in Britain, except that it has been naturalised here for several hundred years and is native to Southern Europe and Turkey.

The fruit tastes like a sharp plum when fully ripe, but even slightly under ripe ones are too sour to enjoy fresh, and they do not all ripen at the same time, so it is often made into jams (you will need to add pectin).

In the past, the fruit was commonly preserved in brine like an olive, and it's making a bit of a comeback in permaculture gardens, especially on wet ground where most fruit trees struggle.

There is caffeine in the seeds, which can be roasted and ground into a powder.

Planting Companions

Plant it with Hazel, whose catkins open at the same time of year. For a hedge of Dogwoods grown for their winter stems, see our Dogwood hedging, but prune those differently. Dust the roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Ashridge for Hedging?

Hedging and young trees are not a sideline here: your Cornelian Cherry plants are grown for us by specialist growers. Bareroot plants are lifted to order while dormant and guaranteed for 12 months. Ashridge has sold plants since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you eat the fruit?

Yes. The fruit is sharp even when ripe, so it is often made into jam, with added pectin.

When does it flower?

In late winter, on bare branches, usually from February and sometimes in January.

Do you coppice it like other Dogwoods?

No. Unlike the Dogwoods grown for coloured stems, it should not be cut to the ground each spring. Cut it back hard only if it gets overgrown.

How big does it grow?

2.5 to 4 metres tall and as much across. It is slow, and takes 10 to 20 years to get there.

Is it good for bees?

Yes. It flowers so early that it is one of the first sources of nectar in the year.

Is it native?

No. It comes from southern Europe and Turkey, but it has grown wild in Britain for several hundred years.

When are the plants delivered?

Bareroot only, from November to April, while the plants are dormant. You can order at any time of year and your plants are lifted and sent once the season opens.