Family: dogwoods (Cornaceae)
Flowering time: May–June
Size: 2–5 m
Habitat: sunny forests, forest edges, hedgerows and banks of water
Red dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) is a shrub with dark red young shoots. The branches are leafy with opposite, ovate leaves. On them are visible three to four pairs of arcuate lateral veins. The upper surface of the leaves is not glossy, and the venation on the underside of the leaves is not hairy. Red dogwood flowers after leafing. Its four-petaled white flowers form corymbs at the tops of the shoots. The round fruits are upright; when ripe they are dark blue. Red dogwood grows on moderately rich, moist soils on moderately warm sites; it prefers calcareous substrates. Except for high mountains, it is widespread throughout Slovenia. Because it naturally occurs in riparian communities along watercourses, it is often planted in exposed places to prevent soil erosion.
Because of its lush flowering, its self-sown presence in Slovenia, and the fact that pruning does not bother it, red dogwood would deserve its place in every living hedge around Slovenian gardens.
