Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea' is the yellow-green stemmed dogwood, grown precisely for its winter display: once the shrub drops its leaves the young stems stay a bright yellow that lights up the garden through the cold months.

Characteristics
A deciduous, bushy, suckering shrub 2-2.5 m tall and as wide. The oval, light green leaves turn yellow-orange in autumn before falling; in May and June it bears corymbs of small creamy white flowers, followed by whitish berries. Stem colour is brighter the younger the growth.

Growing and care
It wants full sun (in shade the stems stay greenish) and a cool or even moist soil, doing well on banks and heavy ground. Very hardy, it withstands severe frost. Pruning is the key task: in late winter cut two or three year old stems hard back to encourage new shoots, which are the coloured ones.

Uses
Excellent in winter plantings, borders of coloured stem shrubs, pond and canal banks, informal hedges and wildlife gardens; the cut stems are also used in floral arrangements.