Status: 06.04.2023 5:00 a.m
With its delicate yellow flowers, the cornelian cherry is one of the plants that bloom early in the year. The robust shrub is also suitable as a hedge. The fruits are edible and provide food for birds.
As early as the end of February, the hardy cornel (Cornus mas) usually opens its pretty yellow flowers and serves with it many insects, especially bumblebees, as a food source early in the year. The shrub, also known as Dirlitze, is – contrary to what the name suggests – not related to the sweet or sour cherry, but belongs to the genus of the dogwood family. The robust plant is deciduous and has a beautiful yellowish to reddish autumn colour.
Plant cornel: the right location
Cornelian cherries have an intense autumn colour.
Depending on the variety, cornelian cherries can grow six to eight meters high and a few meters wide. This should be considered when looking for a location in the garden. Certain cultivated forms such as the slow-growing variety “Aurea Elegantissima” are significantly smaller with a maximum height of three meters. The location should be sunny to semi-shady and the Garden soil must be rich in nutrients and well drained. Cornelian cherries prefer calcareous soils, but can also cope with a slightly acidic pH value. The best time for planting is autumn, planting in early spring is also possible.
Cut cornel
A pruning of the cornelian cherry is usually not necessary. Even without regular pruning, the shrub blooms profusely and bears fruit. If the plant grows too much in width or height, it can be pruned without any problems, because it is extremely pruning-tolerant and even sprout again after a radical pruning. For this reason, it is also very suitable as a hedge plant. The best time for pruning is in spring, right after flowering.
Not poisonous at all: Harvest and eat cornelian cherries
Cornus cherries are edible for both humans and animals.
The fruits of the cornel are not – as is often assumed – poisonous, but can be eaten without hesitation. Because of their sour-tart taste, however, they are processed with sugar and mostly used as jelly, jam or liqueur. Harvest time begins around the end of August. Cornelian cherries are ripe when the juice escapes from the fruit when you press it lightly. Most varieties are red, but there are also white and yellow varieties.
Cornus cherries fit perfectly in one natural garden, because they provide food for birds such as starlings, blackbirds and bullfinches.
Further information
