GARDENER'S READING ROOM
The Art of Gardening
Trees and Shrubs

Color Punch with Under Plantings

	Cornus s. ‘Flaviramea’

This time of year, flower power has diminished if not completely abated. The other day I was using red, coral, and yellow twig dogwoods in a display, so I started looking for companion plants that would draw attention to those colorful twigs.

Most twig dogwoods average between 5 and 10 feet in height and spread to 5-8 feet with time. In general, twig dogwoods like moist, well drained soil and can grow in sun or shade. Native varieties are found most frequently near ponds, streams or seasonal wet areas.

Cornus s.‘Silver and Gold’

Cornus stolonifera ‘Cardinal’ (6-8 feet tall and wide) comes in the orangey-coral spectrum. As a sunny companion for this I like little (12”) Pieris japonica ‘Prelude’ for its dense, dark green foliage and white late winter blooms. ‘Cardinal’s summer foliage provides adequate shade for plants that prefer less direct light, so I also add the groundcover Gaultheria procumbens (Wintergreen) for its love of moist cool conditions. Both plants add deep, green color contrasts that highlight the glowy-goodness of the dogwood twigs, with the wintergreen adding just a bit of festiveness by sporting bright red berries in winter.

	Leucothoe f. ‘Scarletta’

Of the yellow twig varieties, I like Cornus stolonifera ‘Flaviramea’ (6-8 feet tall and wide) and ‘Silver and Gold’ (4-5 feet and tall) a variegated leaf form. My favorite planting combo for these two calls for Leucothoe fontanesiana ‘Scarletta’ (2 feet tall and 4 feet wide). To me, the deep burgundy almost purple toned winter foliage of the Leucothoe really makes the yellows of the dogwood stand out. For a more contemporary, even edgy approach, I like Ophiopogon planiscapis ‘Nigrescens’ (Black Mondo Grass, 4-6” tall) around ‘Silver and Gold’. The mondo grass spreads naturally with time into a dense cover, forming a great contrast to both the dogwood’s yellow winter canes and its spring and summer variegated foliage.

Ophiopogon p. ‘Nigrescens’

Representing the red twig forms are Cornus alba ‘Siberica’ and the variegated ‘Elegantissima’. Both have deep burgundy red canes in winter, making them excellent companions for dark green foliage contrasts. Because of their size at maturity (as tall as 8 or even 10 feet and 6-8 feet wide), they can provide adequate protection from summer sun for shade-loving plants like the native Blechnum spicant (Deer Fern) and evergreen Sarcococca humilis with its intensely fragrant late winter blooms. In a full sun location, another native, Archtostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Emerald Carpet’ (Kinnikinnick), works well as a low growing, spreading ground cover that provides excellent soil retention and evergreen interest.

These combinations are ones that I like in particular, but my hope is you have gained some insight to come up with your own creative approaches. If that’s the case, then my work here is done.

Blechnum spicant	Cornus alba ‘Siberica’

By Joe Abken
Skylights Spring 2007 Vol. 22, No. 1

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