Cornus controversa tree seed
LATIN NAME: CORNUS CONTROVERSA
COMMON NAME: Wedding Cake Tree
In the mountain woods of the east, the wedding cake tree grows as a graceful, deciduous tree with the horizontal branches set in neat, layered whorls up the trunk, the oval, pointed leaves and the broad, flat heads of small, white flowers that open in the early summer, the small, blue-black fruits following in the autumn. Growth is steadily, the plant forming a rounded crown that reaches 5-10 metres. It is content in the sun or the light shade and the rich, moist ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The wedding cake tree shows up in the studies of the tiered dogwoods of the east, its layered branches and its flat flower heads keeping it in view in the work on the ornamental trees of the temperate garden and the branching architecture of the dogwood tribe. The research looks at the way the whorled branches build the layers, the blue-black fruits ripen and scatter, and the seed biology of the hard, grooved seeds.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the summer garden, the wedding cake tree spreads the white, flat heads over the clean, layered branches and gives the garden its most architectural tree. The blue-black fruits feed the birds, and the tree makes the fine specimen, the tiered feature tree and the tree of the open, moist garden. It is a tree for the open, sunny, deep and well-drained place.
To grow the Wedding Cake Tree from seed, clean the seeds from the dark fruits and give them a cold, moist spell.
Clean the seeds from the dark fruits and give them a cold, moist spell, and keep the young dogwoods in the open, sunny spot. The white heads open with the early summer.
LATIN NAME: Cornus controversa
COMMON NAME: Giant Dogwood, Wedding Cake Tree, Table Dogwood
The giant dogwood is one of the most graceful of all the dogwoods, and its flat, layered tiers of branches make it look like a wedding cake. The plant becomes a flat-topped crown, reaching several metres. It is a native of China, Korea, the Himalayas and Japan, and it is grown as a beautiful ornamental tree, prized for its graceful, layered form and its heads of white bloom.
The giant dogwood belongs to the dogwood family, Cornaceae, and it is a species of flowering plant native to China, Korea, the Himalayas and Japan. It is a deciduous tree growing to fifteen metres, with multiple tiered branches, and it is grown as an ornamental.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The giant dogwood has a genuine and growing place in both horticultural and botanical research. It has been studied in horticulture, since it is one of the most graceful of the ornamental trees, prized for its distinctive, tiered, horizontal form, its flat heads of creamy-white flower and its handsome leaves, and researchers have examined its cultivation, its growth and its value in the garden, while it is grown as a specimen tree in parks and large gardens, and its beautiful form has made it of interest to the nursery trade. The tree has also been studied in botany, since it is a member of the dogwood family, and researchers have examined its classification and its relationships with the other dogwoods, while the family is of interest for its diversity. The species has also been studied in ecology, since it is a native of the forests of China, Korea, the Himalayas and Japan. For a tree of such graceful form, the giant dogwood has a steady and growing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the giant dogwood is a generous tree of the garden and the forest. Its flat heads of creamy flowers feed bees and other insects, its dark blue fruits feed birds, and its layered branches give shelter, while it is a graceful presence in the forests of its native range.
Its economic value lies mainly in horticulture. It is one of the most valued of the ornamental trees, prized for its tiered, wedding-cake form and its heads of white bloom, and it is grown as a specimen tree in parks and large gardens around the temperate world, while its handsome wood is also of some value. For a grower, the giant dogwood is a graceful and rewarding tree, and for a gardener it brings the beautiful, layered form that gives it the name wedding cake tree. The seeds need a spell of cold — keep them in the fridge in damp compost for a couple of months, then sow them in a pot of moist, free-draining compost, and theyll sprout steadily, growing on into a graceful, tiered young tree.
Cornus controversa Variegata / Wedding Cake Tree Cornus controversa ‘Variegata’ commonly known as The Wedding Cake Tree is an upright, tiered deciduous tree with spreading branches. A relatively small and slow growing, graceful tree it makes a lovely focal point for any size of garden. With its bright green leaves and bold, creamy-white margins which dramatically turn red-purple in autumn. Cornus controversa Variegata produces an abundance of small white flowers from May to June borne in flat clusters. This is followed by blue-black berries in July, which are adored by birds. Even when all the leaves have fallen this still makes a pleasant tree to admire because of its interesting tiered look.
Easy to grow and to care for, The Wedding Cake Tree is considered pest and disease free. This Cornus variety is also the recipient of The Award of Garden Merit by Royal Horticultural Society, a sure sign of its outstanding performance in the garden. Fully hardy in the United Kingdom, Cornus controversa Variegata can survive even if the temperatures drop to 15 degrees below zero. As it is frost hardy, this highly decorative cultivar won’t need sheltering during the winter months.
The Wedding Cake Tree grows well in a range of soil types so long as it is fertile and drainage is good. A spot in dappled shade or full sun gets the best from this unique small tree. Grown as a specimen tree in a prominent position, the striking, layered form of Cornus controversa Variegata offers both architectural and aesthetic value and elegance to any landscape.
Common Name: Wedding Cake Tree Botanical Name: Cornus controversa Variegata Mature Height: 5-7m Key Features: Stunning variegated foliage; beautiful tiered branching; masses of early summer white flowers; Berries for wildlife
Name: Giant Dogwood Scientific Name: Cornus controversa Hardiness zone: 5 through 8 plant height: 35-40 feet light requirements: full sun to part shade soil & water preferences: grows well in well-drained soil.
Growing Instructions:
- Scarification: Soak in water for 24hrs
- stratification: Warm stratify for 120days, then cold stratify for 90 days. Check every two weeks to make sure seeds are moist and that seeds are not molding. if there is sign of mold, seeds should be soaked in 3:2 parts of water:bleach then rinsed with clean water and put back into cold stratification.
- germination: sow seeds 1/4″ deep in soil, tamp the soil & mulch the seed bed.