Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty' — 17cm / 2L17cm / 2L
Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Dogwood 'Winter Beauty'

Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty'

£18.99
Very hardySun-lovingLoved by pollinators
Pot size
17cm / 2L £18.99

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Description

Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty' is a dogwood that saves its best for the coldest months. Once the leaves fall, its bare stems glow orange-yellow at the base and warm to coral and red at the tips, like a bundle of lit matches in a winter border.

Hardiness and seasons. Rated H6 by the RHS, it is hardy to around -20C and needs no winter protection anywhere in the UK. Oval green leaves turn orange-yellow in autumn, flat heads of small white flowers open in late spring, and the stems hold their colour from leaf fall until spring.

Where it fits. It is easy in any reasonable soil, from chalk to heavy clay, in sun or part shade and in exposed spots. Plant it in a group where low winter sun catches the stems, or in front of evergreens in a mixed shrub border. Cutting it back hard in spring every year or two gives the brightest new stems.

What you receive: a young plant in a 17cm (2L) pot. It is deciduous, so from autumn to spring it arrives as bare, coloured stems, with leaves following in spring.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Dogwood 'Winter Beauty'

Plant me in full sun and the coldest UK winters do not worry me.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Dogwood 'Winter Beauty'

Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty' needs full sun or partial shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is very hardy, standing the coldest UK winters outdoors.

Good for

Exotic Borders Wildlife & Pollinators

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

RHS H6 · Hardy Exotic · down to around −20°C

Rated H6 by the RHS: hardy throughout the UK to around -20C, with no winter protection needed. It loses its leaves in autumn, and the coloured stems are the main show from November to March. See what to expect through the seasons.

Position

Full sunPartial shadeNorth-facingSouth-facingEast-facingWest-facingExposedSheltered

Full sun gives the brightest stem colour, and it also grows well in part shade, facing any direction. It is tough enough for exposed, windy sites. Plant it where you will see it from the house in winter, ideally with low sun behind or beside it, at the back of a border or in a group of three or five for a block of colour. It also brightens a north-facing garden.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedWell-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH

Any moist but well-drained soil suits it: chalk, clay, loam or sand, acid or alkaline. It is a reliable choice for heavy clay that stays damp in winter. Dig in some organic matter at planting and mulch to keep the roots cool.

Watering

Water regularly in the first growing season and in dry spells. Once established it needs little watering. Hard prune in early spring every year or two for bright new stems. Read moreShow less

Water regularly in the first growing season and in dry spells. Once established it needs little watering. Hard prune in early spring every year or two for bright new stems.

Mature size

Height1.5-2.5 m (unpruned)
Spread1.5-2.5 m

Reaches full size in 5-10 years

Growth habit

Bushy

Flowering

May-Jun · White

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Deciduous

Pruning

For the best winter colour, cut all stems back hard to 5 to 10cm from the base in early spring, just before the leaves break, every year or every other year. To keep some height, cut out one stem in three each spring instead. New stems colour best in their first winter.

Toxicity

Not known to be seriously toxic. The small black berries are bitter and inedible and can upset the stomach of people or dogs that eat them.

Native range

Europe to the Caucasus and Lebanon, including Britain (species); cultivar selected in the Netherlands

Family

Cornaceae

Also known as

Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty'

Genus

Cornus
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cornus 'Winter Beauty' the same as 'Midwinter Fire'?

No. They are separate seedling selections of the common dogwood, both found in the Netherlands around 1980. 'Winter Beauty' was first sold in Britain from 1990 under the provisional name 'Winter Flame', which is why the three names are often mixed up in the trade. 'Midwinter Fire' is more vigorous and suckers freely; 'Winter Beauty' is slower and more compact, with stems orange-yellow below and red at the tips.

How big does Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty' grow?

Unpruned, it reaches 1.5 to 2.5m tall and wide in five to ten years. Most gardeners cut it back regularly for winter colour, which keeps it nearer 1 to 1.5m.

When should I cut back Cornus 'Winter Beauty'?

In early spring, usually March, just before the new leaves appear. Cut all the stems down to 5 to 10cm from the base every year or two, or remove one stem in three each year for a taller shrub. The new shoots carry the brightest colour the following winter.

Will dogwood grow in shade?

Yes, it grows in part shade, though the stem colour is strongest in full sun. It is a good choice for brightening a partly shaded corner in winter.

Is Cornus sanguinea good for wildlife?

Yes. The RHS lists it as a plant for pollinators: bees visit the flat heads of white flowers in late spring, and birds eat the black berries in late summer. See more plants for pollinators.

Are dogwood berries poisonous?

They are not seriously toxic, but they are bitter and inedible and can cause stomach upsets in people and dogs. Discourage pets from eating them.

Are your plants treated with pesticides?
We aim to avoid using pesticides where possible, but we can't control the whole supply chain.

If the plant is going into a vivarium, terrarium or aquarium with live animals, rinse the leaves and roots well, remove any soil and let the plant dry out before adding it. We'd also suggest keeping it away from animals for a month first.
Can I see a photo of the exact plant I'll receive?
We're not able to send photos of individual plants or let you choose a specific one, as plants are selected by our team when your order is packed. Our photos show the variety and the kind of plant you can expect, and yours may vary a little in height, shape or fullness.

If a size has a code next to it, such as 9cm / B2, you're buying the exact plant pictured.
Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 7 days with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
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From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

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All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty'
£18.99