Tatarian dogwood (Cornus alba 'Gouchaultii')
Tatarian dogwood, Cornus alba 'Gouchaultii', offers brilliant red winter stems, variegated foliage, and attracts birds. Excellent low-maintenance shrub.
Complete Plant Information
Overview
Cornus alba ‘Gouchaultii’, a striking cultivar of Tatarian dogwood, is highly valued in the landscape for its vibrant year-round interest. This shrub provides dynamic seasonal color, highlighted by variegated leaves edged with yellow and pink during the growing season and brilliant red stems that illuminate the winter garden. As a rapid-growing, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub, it offers immediate structure and excellent screening capabilities.
The Cornus alba ‘Gouchaultii’ is resilient and relatively easy to maintain, fitting well into borders or naturalized areas where its suckering habit can be appreciated or controlled. Its creamy white flowers are followed by attractive blue-tinged white berries, making the Tatarian dogwood a valuable structural element that supports local bird populations. Gardeners seeking reliable color and texture should strongly consider this versatile specimen.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Cornaceae
- Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 3-7
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 4-6 ft
- Spread: 4-6 ft
- Bloom Time: May to June
- Bloom Description: Yellowish-white
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Water Needs: Medium
- Maintenance Level: Low
How to Grow
Plant the Tatarian dogwood during the dormant season, typically early spring or fall, ensuring it receives full sun to partial shade for the best overall performance. Cornus alba ‘Gouchaultii’ thrives in organically rich, consistently moist, fertile, and well-drained soils. While it is notably tolerant of a wide range of soil types, established shrubs handle brief dry spells or occasional standing water better than newly planted specimens.
Consistent moisture is key, especially when young; provide medium watering until the root system is established. Maintenance is generally low, but to maximize the desirable bright red stem color, pruning is recommended. Gardeners should annually remove 20–25% of the oldest stems in early spring. Alternatively, for a full renewal, you can coppice all stems to about 8 inches during the early spring every two to three years.
Be vigilant about unwanted colonial spread by observing and promptly removing root suckers with a spade if you prefer a more contained form. Note that plants stressed by extreme heat, especially south of Zone 7, become more susceptible to fungal issues like canker.
Landscape Uses
The ornamental qualities of this Tatarian dogwood make it exceptionally versatile in landscape design. Its dense, multi-stemmed nature makes it ideal for property line screens or informal hedges where a low-maintenance barrier is needed. Planting Cornus alba ‘Gouchaultii’ in groups or massed plantings creates a dramatic textural effect, particularly in rain gardens or naturalistic settings where it is allowed to form thickets.
Accents are where this plant truly shines, especially in winter. Site shrubs where their outstanding winter stem color can be fully appreciated against a backdrop of snow or dark evergreens. For a professional designer touch, consider combining the red twigs of Cornus alba ‘Gouchaultii’ with yellow-twig dogwood cultivars, such as Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’, to achieve a spectacular, contrasting bicolor stem display.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Showy
Fruit Qualities
- Showy
Noteworthy Characteristics
The most standout feature of this Tatarian dogwood cultivar is its brilliant red winter stems, which create exceptional focal points against snowy landscapes. Foliage is ovate to elliptic, medium/dark green, and beautifully edged with yellow and pink variegation. Flowers appear in late spring, giving way to clusters of ornamental blue-white drupes attractive to birds throughout mid-summer.
Tolerances
- Rabbit
- Deer
- Erosion
Potential Problems
Tatarian dogwood is susceptible to several common fungal diseases, including leaf spot, twig and leaf blights, and canker, especially when plants become stressed by hot, dry conditions. Insect pests are usually minor problems, but look out for occasional occurrences of scale, leaf miners, or borers. Ensure proper air circulation through appropriate spacing and timely pruning to mitigate fungal issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Tatarian dogwood suitable for?
Cornus alba ‘Gouchaultii’ thrives established in USDA Zones 3 through 7.
How large does Tatarian dogwood grow?
This cultivar typically reaches a mature height between 4 to 6 feet, with an equal spread of 4 to 6 feet.
What sun exposure does Cornus alba ‘Gouchaultii’ need?
This dogwood prefers full sun for the best stem color and variegation, but it tolerates partial shade situations well.
When does Tatarian dogwood bloom?
The yellowish-white flowers of the Tatarian dogwood appear in clusters during the period between May and June.
Conclusion
The Cornus alba ‘Gouchaultii’ is an unparalleled choice for gardeners seeking low-maintenance structure, year-round visual interest, and wildlife value. Its combination of variegated summer leaves and intensely colored winter stems secures its place as a landscape staple. Before planting, check your local USDA zone to ensure your spot offers the necessary cold protection for the best performance from your Tatarian dogwood.
Companion Planting
Pairing plants with similar cultural needs enhances the performance of shrubs like Cornus alba ‘Gouchaultii’. Because this dogwood performs best in moist, rich soil, consider companion plants that also thrive in rain garden or waterside settings. Grouping it with ornamental grasses that appreciate moisture, such as Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra), adds contrasting, fine texture against the dogwood’s broader leaves and bold stems.
For winter interest synergy, combine the red stems of your Tatarian dogwood with lower-growing perennials or shrubs that offer contrasting winter color. Yellow-stemmed alternatives, or plants with fine, dark evergreen foliage grown nearby, will make the red display of Cornus alba ‘Gouchaultii’ truly pop when deciduous leaves have fallen.
Wildlife Benefits
The flowering and fruiting cycle of this shrub provide key resources for local fauna throughout the growing season. The tiny, yellowish-white flowers produced in late spring offer nectar for early-season beneficial insects when other blooms might be scarce. More significantly, the blue-white fruit clusters ripen mid-summer, providing a crucial, easily accessible food source for numerous bird species preparing for migration or supporting nesting activity.
Propagation Tips
Propagating Cornus alba ‘Gouchaultii’ is easily achieved through softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings, which is the preferred method to ensure the offspring retain the exact characteristics of the parent plant. Take cuttings that are about 4 to 6 inches long during the early summer when the wood is somewhat flexible but not overly green and tender. Dip the bases of the cuttings in a rooting hormone powder to significantly increase success rates before inserting them into a sterile, moist medium like perlite and peat.
Keep the cuttings consistently moist and warm, ideally using bottom heat or placing them in a propagation structure that maintains high humidity. While the Tatarian dogwood can also spread via suckers, which can be divided, taking stem cuttings allows gardeners to create numerous new plants without disturbing the mature shrub mass, which is useful for hedging or mass planting designs.
Seasonal Care Calendar
Spring is the most critical time for aesthetic care of your Cornus alba ‘Gouchaultii’. As soon as the threat of hard frost passes, prune out the one or two-year-old branches that are showing the best red color to stimulate the growth of next winter’s vibrant stems. This pruning keeps the shrub vigorous and full.
During summer, focus primarily on moisture management. Ensure established plants receive medium water, especially during dry spells, but avoid overwatering which can lead to fungal problems. In the fall, after leaf drop, the true color of the canes for the coming winter will begin to emerge, allowing you to assess where additional thinning might be beneficial next spring. Minimal winter protection is usually necessary for established shrubs in Zones 3-7.
