Cornus alba 'Elegantissima' is an excellent choice for bringing colour and life to the garden, available in several sizes.

Characteristics
This shrub draws the eye with its ornamental stems of a fine deep red, above all in the winter months when other plants are at rest. Its variegated foliage, green with white margins, adds elegance and brightness, and is followed in autumn by soft yellow and pink tints; small creamy flowers in spring are followed by white berries.

Growing and care
It adapts well to different light levels, from full sun to partial shade, and can be grown in beds or in pots; it is happiest on fresh to moist soil and is extremely hardy. Since the youngest stems are the brightest, cut a third of the oldest stems to the base each late winter, or cut the whole shrub back hard.

Uses
Winter colour plantings, mixed borders, informal hedges, pond and stream sides, and containers.