I ended up getting Redstone and Elegant back in 2023 from Cricket Hill. I wanted two and was limited in room. I had had a forsythia where the Cornelian Cherries are now. The thing was a beast and rooting and spreading. It looked like a mess except for the week or so it bloomed, and even then, I rather detested it. I had someone who wanted it, and he came and dug it out. It took him three consecutive days after work to get it, which left a lovely opening for the two mentioned above.
Ironically, the Elegant is double the size of the Redstone, and both are still under four or five feet. So far, they are beautifully well-behaved and dainty, and I’m excited for when they finally flower and fruit. I find myself exhaling with relief every time I walk by them! The other was such a chaotic mess of uncontrollable twigs. It’s replacement will flower just as early if not earlier, give me the lovely bright yellow so needed in spring, and then put on a repeat performance with stunning stained glass red fruits.
I pat myself on the back every time I think of when I realized what an “elegant” solution I had thought of doing! My only worry is that they will exceed the stated mature sizes. That is the trend here…Anyway, they have yet to fruit, so I can’t report of their flavor, but regardless, I am over the moon with having that chore behind me. I have so many other kinds of fruit on the property, that if I don’t like them, it’ll be okay. It’s wonderful to read that people rate it highly. I’ve heard that you want to pick the ripe fruit and then let it sit for a day or so to really bring out the flavor.
I had my first goumi berries, mulberries, hardy kiwi, bush raspberries and bush cherries last year, none of which I had previously tasted but am very pleased with. I have ample fruit to make it through the year! My peach tree really put on a good crop–its first since it was planted in 2018.
My yellow cultivar was planted in 2023. And my new Coral Blaze was this past fall.
The Three I got from Cricket Hill are Aliosha, Ugolk, and Yugo Sweet. I’ll be curious how Aliosha compares to yellow in flavor as they are both yellow fruited cultivars.
It is possible, I did it at the end of June. I used side veneer graft. cut fresh scion from mother tree and put graft in polythunel with extra layer of transparent painter’s foil on it. scion must be hard so I throw away top of new year grow. my spring attemp most failed so I thing cornus need hight temperature. I’m from Poland so sorry for mistakes with writing.
I posted this elsewhere, but 2/3 Seaberry + 1/3 Cornelian Dogwood + sugar or Splenda makes an awesome smoothie. And no one else in America is drinking it at the same time you are. I usually use 1/2 cup seaberry plus a layer of pitted Cornelian Dogwood plus 1 Tbsp sugar plus 1 Splenda packet. My fruit come frozen from an international market.
nine years ago planted several cornelian cherries after accidentally encountering a Grove of cornelian cherries comprised of about six trees in the national Arboretum in Washington DC, (very close to the columnade.)
I am the forager by nature, when I tried these not only could I tell that they were something edible, but they reminded me of something I had tasted in the past. I whipped out my iPhone and was able to identify them. I fed them to my children and they enjoyed them as well. They were very acceptably sweet.
I spent my first decade of life in Poland and that is where I had tasted them as a child.
Perhaps due to the difference in terroir of Ellicott city where I live vs Washington DC, but I have not had a good success with my trees’ taste
The trees grew and were healthy, but tasted very tart, impossible to eat out of hand. I have a very small amount of land so I needed to move them to a less prized location but unfortunately, three out of there six trees were not able to be moved because their roots were too deep. Overall, my experience has not been favorable. I would say that in Central Maryland kiwis, persimmons, figs, and Asian pears are much more worthwhile, considering productivity, taste, and labor involved in terms of spraying against fungus and insect pests
I’m growing 9 different cultivars of Cornelian Cherries and my favorite is Coral Blaze. Cornus mas has a double dormancy so two years are needed to trigger germination.
Elegant, Pioneer, Red Star, Yellow (least favorite but nice to have a different color) Red Dawn, Sunrise, Coral Blaze, U26 and Exotica. The last three are young and yet to fruit for me. I also have grown out Cornelian Cherry from a Hungarian seed source.
Little John also recommended that one. From my research I found it didn’t have as high of brix as others, and it’s older, so I kind of brushed it off. But if both you and little John say it’s one of the best… It’ll be at the top of my wishlist
And I’ll keep u26 (svitlana) and coral blaze on the maybe list and ask you for an update in a few years
My guess is the variety. I can’t be certain they’d say yes, but you may request a Scion from the arboretum and try grafting!
I grafted several with good success last year. I waited till they were pretty much fully leafed out and the days were warm. I used a whip and tongue graft.
I had never had a Cornelian Cherry until my trees started to produce. I made the mistake of trying them unripe. Now I age most in the house in a bowl and eat the ones that I know are ripe or pick them up from the ground as they fall. Love them.
I don’t know that pitting like a cherry would work. When underripe and puckery, the flesh clings to the seed. When they’re ripe, they are very soft. I generally run them through a foley type food mill to make a puree. No heat or cooking necessary.
