Some deciduous Cornus species are known for their beautifully coloured twigs in winter. There are particularly beautiful selections of the species C. alba, C. sericea and C. sanguinea. These Cornus species have an excellent winter hardiness and can also grow on poorly drained soils.
Showing the branch colours to best advantage requires annual pruning of the plants at the and of the winter because biennial branches turn brown. Annual branches often reach a length of more than 1 m, and these are used for cutting.
The best known red is C. alba ‘Sibirica’. C. sericea ‘Flaviramea’ has bright light green branches and branches of C. alba ‘Kesselringii’ are purple black.
Other selections such as C. sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’, ‘Magic Flame’ and ‘Winter Beauty’ have yellow branches colouring red at the tops and the sunside.