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Cornelian cherry, how fast does it grow?

8 years ago

Considering this for small front yard, avg. soil, full sun. If it will take 10 years to get 10 feet, I may reconsider. Need a 20 foot tree that is immune to wintermoth, and that means dogwood or magnolia. Thanks for your help!

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Comments (9)

Embothrium
8 years ago
Climate area?
sam_md
8 years ago

Please don't give up on Cornus mas. This pic was taken in D.C. in March. For us 10-12' height in 10 years sounds about right. The ones that I have seen are dense growing shrubs more horizontal than vertical.
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hehe thank you brandon... well obviously these grew quite a bit more than 20" in one year. I don't know what is awkward about the way they are growing though. I will google some images. I like they way they are forming. Nice low branches that I may just have to climb one day to pick some cherries. I will be 55 and climbing trees, never put it past me. I like unique anyway. I released them from the ties today. I only tied them because earlier this Spring, we were getting constant heavy winds and storms from the northwest and they were beginning to all lean toward the southeast. I kind of wanted them to grow nice and straight before I started shaping them. When I planted them, which is in red sand, I dug a large hole in a low point where a tree was once before. The previous owner of this place removed a lot of trees years and years ago. So I let these spots of low ground be my planting points... back in our woods, my husband pushed up a bunch of brush and decaying matter in a pile... it sat for about 3 years... I added 2 wheelbarrow loads of this semi compost to the red sand. Last year, when I watered, I would just let the hose barely trickle at the base and soak in really deep. I will contribute that to the extremely fast growth. The very tall one was actually just 2 straight stalks. I topped it this year before it sprouted in hopes that it would branch out, in which it did. Awkward or not, I just love the way they are turning out. I will learn about pruning. I always apologize to them when I ever have to cut a plant. When I plant things, I welcome them home and wish them luck. If they make it, wonderful, if not, I plant something else.
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Hi ademink (aka Cockamamier - that cracked me up...): I don't believe that Cornus mas requires cross-pollination from another separate plant of this species - but my 'Golden Glory' individuals (original six) did not seem to ever set many fruit when they were the only ones of the species at the Valley. I have since planted several seedling individuals and several of a selection called 'Redstone'. I am appreciating more fruit annually now. Cause and effect? I am not sure, but it hasn't hurt. Since Cornus mas flowers very early in spring, when there are not lots of pollinating insects active, there may be a correlation with this situation. If you don't see many bugs out and about in late March/early April (for me) - and you aren't into hand-pollination of lots of little flowers while it's frigid - then you may always have small fruit crops. Also, be careful about insecticide applications. It is becoming standard to use systemic full spectrum insecticides, which kill anything that consumes plant parts that contain the chemical. That may end up causing damage to nontarget insects, such as the beneficials that are doing pollinating for us. Finally: multi-trunked doesn't necessarily mean more than one plant. Looking at your great array of images, I think you just have one tree with several stems from one crown. No further value in cross-pollination from that situation. If you have had pollination of your spring flowers, then you could go look now and see greenish fruit growing which will mature to red then purple this fall (if birds and rodentia don't beat you to it).
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It really isn't moss, just a fine normal flowering plant that stays low with very tiny leaves. Has very tiny flowers, which is cute. It spreads if it likes the place it's at. Depends on moisture and sun. Not sure what you are going for but space them a foot apart to make a nice mat. It's reputation for being evergreen is overrated, depending on region and planting location.
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Well I don't have the type of sedum that you have mentioned. I have a scarlet and an improved golden. They didn't do much of anything for the first two years. The third year they have started to take off. The rows have increased to 4 inches in width from basically one frond wide. I hope this helps you somewhat. I would look up my sedum and see what it's mature size will be and work from that size. So, if it's going to make a mound 2 feet round I would give it the full 2 feet plus about 6 inches. This is just a suggestion. Right now I'm having to deal with not doing that and having to deal with overcrowding.
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arator
8 years ago
Well worth the wait. With selective pruning when young this tough little gem can make a fine small specimen tree. Beautiful peeling bark pattern on trunk and the earliest yellow bloom of any flowering tree I know. Our biggest problem was finding one.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
convert the common name to the latin thru google ... then add 'annual growth rate' ... and THEN research ... see link ... down a few links it says:

When young, kousa dogwoods have a medium growth rate of about 13 to 24 inches per year. Older trees slow down, growing 12 inches or less per year

==>>> the variance is particular to where you live.. e.g pnw 8 month growing season ... MI 5 months .. its going to be much more aggressive in the former ... [if it grows there]

no tree ever stops growing ... so dont put much stock on listed mature heights .. its all about how many inches it grows.. per year.. for how many decades ... though obviously.. this is not going to end up.. a 100 foot oak type plant ...

one way to get a slower growing version.. is to buy a variegated version.. less green.. less food production .. less annual growth .. generally speaking ... but they may be rather foo foo for your area ... wherever that might be ... and it will probably be double or triple the cost ...

ken

almost forgot the link.. again:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Cornus+mas&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=Cornus+mas+annual+growth+rate
hickorysmoked
Original Author
8 years ago
Embothrium: I live in Massachusetts, zone 6a.
gardenprincethenetherlandsZ7/8
8 years ago
If you want a tree-like "Cornelian cherry" you can look for Cornus officinalis. It is hardy to USA zone 5 according to Cappiello/Shadow in their book Dogwoods.

Cornus mas usually grows shrub like and even with careful pruning is difficult (not impossible!) to get a well shaped tree out of it.
akamainegrower
8 years ago
Both cornus mas and cornus officinalis are fine trees. Growth rate is so variable due to local factors such as soil fertility, length of growing season, etc. that it is really impossible to generalize. I would characterize both as moderately fast growers, but would not venture to translate that into feet per year. Both trees are almost always the very first splash of color in what is usually a gray time of year in most of New England. There are two forms of c. mas with distinctive leaves. 'Aurea' with yellow ones, and 'Variegata' with white margined ones. Both are attractive and not at all garish as is sometimes the case with yellow leaved plants, especially. I am not aware of any c. officinalis with other than plain green leaves.
wisconsitom
8 years ago
In addition to aka's comments, I believe the most important site factor for Cornus mas-as for all dogwoods-is soil moisture. They'll live and develop in most any mesic site but do appreciate not drying out to often or too badly.

+oM
arbordave (SE MI)
8 years ago
I'd second both aka's and tom's comments, except that in my area I'd consider them relatively slow growers. Good soil and adequate moisture will definitely improve the growth rate.

'Golden Glory' is a more upright variety of Cornus mas that may not be too hard to find.

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