Cornelian cherry

Cornelian cherry: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Shrub or small tree of 3–6 m, often multi-stemmed with a broad, rounded crown.

Leaf

Opposite, oval with a pointed tip, 4–10 cm, untoothed, with curved veins.

Bark

Greyish-brown and flaking.

Flower

Little clusters of yellow flowers on the bare branches, February–March.

Fruit

Glossy red, olive-shaped cornelian cherries (August–September), edible when fully ripe.

Difference from forsythia

Forsythia has larger, bright yellow, bell-shaped flowers.

Flowering: February–March · Harvest and fruit: August–September · Pruning: March–April and August

Identify by feature: Yellow flowers in spring · Winter flowers

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Forsythia Forsythia: larger, bright yellow, bell-shaped flowers. Difference from forsythia

Why grow it?

• Yellow flowers in February–March, even before forsythia: early food for bees.
• Edible red fruits in August–September.
• Tough, long-lived and low-maintenance.
• Tolerates pruning, even as a hedge.

Cornelian cherry: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade; in sun it flowers more freely and the fruits ripen better.
• Any free-draining soil, ideally chalky; no wet feet.
• Allow 4 m width for a free-growing shrub.
• For a good crop, a second shrub nearby helps.

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

6 m tall, 4 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Hazel: Two early bloomers for bees: yellow catkins and little yellow flowers in February.
• Blackthorn: Flowers white shortly after the cornelian cherry, for an early, mixed hedge.
• Spindle: Also likes chalk, with pink fruits and red autumn colour.
• Snowdrop: Flowers in February under the shrub, alongside the little yellow flowers.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Together a mixed native hedge, good for birds and insects: hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, dog rose, common dogwood, guelder rose, wild privet, field maple

Cornelian cherry: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from November to March, bare-root or root-balled.
2. As a specimen: 4 m of space; in a clipped hedge, 2–3 plants per metre.
3. Plant at the same depth as before, mix some compost into the soil and firm it.
4. Water in dry spells during the first year; it grows slowly for the first few years.

Care

Watering

In dry spells during the first year; rarely after that.

Feeding

A little compost in spring is enough.

Harvest

Pick or gather the fruits only when they are dark red, soft and drop of their own accord; spread a sheet under the shrub. Unripe, they are sour and astringent.

Using the fruit

Cook the fruits with a little water and sieve out the stones, for jam or syrup.

Tip: In February, bring a few branches with flower buds indoors and put them in a vase: within a few days they will burst into flower.

Cornelian cherry: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March–April and August.

When: After flowering (March–April).

How:

• Needs little pruning: only remove dead, crossing and overlong branches.
• Also tolerates clipping as a hedge: shape it after flowering and, if necessary, trim it lightly again in August.
• The less you cut in summer, the more flower buds remain for the following spring.

Caution: March–April already falls in the nesting season: check for nesting birds before you prune.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Sowing

Sow the stones from ripe fruits outdoors in autumn; they germinate slowly, often only after a year and a half to two years.

Layering

Bend a low branch to the ground, nick it lightly and cover it with soil; after a year it will have roots.

Cornelian cherry: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy; the flowers withstand light frost.
• The flower buds are ready from autumn onwards: round, swollen little buds on short side shoots.

Diseases and pests

• Few fruits: A young shrub bears little for the first few years; frost during flowering or too much shade also reduces the crop.
• Birds: Blackbirds and other birds eat the ripe fruits. Harvest in time or leave them a share.
• Slow growth: It grows slowly for the first few years; give it time and no extra fertiliser.

Through the year

• February: Flowering begins: yellow clusters on the bare branches, the first bees.
• March: Full bloom; prune after flowering.
• April: Last month for pruning after flowering; shape a hedge.
• August: Trim a hedge lightly if needed; the fruits turn red.
• September: Harvest: gather the ripe, dark red cornelian cherries.
• October: Process the fruits; sow the stones.
• November: Planting.

What can you use it for?

Food and drink

The ripe cornelian cherries are delicious in jam, syrup or liqueur.

For wildlife

One of the very first plants for bees.

Wood

Very hard wood, once used for wheel spokes and tools.

Edible and useful

Fruit (August–September)

Cornelian cherries are only good when they are deep dark red, soft and almost overripe; then they drop by themselves. Spread a cloth under the shrub and gather them every day, or shake the branches gently. They taste sweet-sour, somewhere between cherry and cranberry. For jam, syrup, liqueur, a sauce with game or dried as a snack; leave the long stone behind.

Storing

Ripe cornelian cherries are fragile: use them within a day or two. They freeze well, stones and all. Stoned and dried, they keep for months.

Fermenting

In the Caucasus and Turkey, firm cornelian cherries that are just colouring are traditionally preserved in salt brine, like olives.

Caution: Only eat them fully ripe: unripe cornelian cherries are very astringent. Do not confuse them with the poisonous red berries of honeysuckle, spindle or yew, for example; the olive-shaped fruit with a single long stone is typical. Common dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) has black berries that are not eaten.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Cornelian cherry jam (Jam · ± 3 jars · 1 hour)
• Cornelian cherry liqueur (Liqueur · ± 1 litre · 15 min + 6 weeks steeping)
• Cornelian cherry sauce for roast meat (Dish · ± 500 ml · 50 min)
• Pickled cornelian cherries (‘cornelian olives’) (Vinegar · ± 1 jar of 500 ml · 20 min + 2 weeks maturing)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Bumblebees

Nectar and pollen for bumblebees, also from deep flowers and early in spring.

Birds

Berries, seeds or insects as food, or a place to nest.

Did you know?

• One of the very first food sources for bees; the fruits make delicious jam.
• The wood is very hard and was once used for wheel spokes and tools.
• The species name mas means ‘male’, as opposed to the common dogwood, once known as the ‘female’ cornel. In French it is still called cornouiller mâle.
• Its wood is so dense and heavy that, unlike almost any other wood, it sinks in water.