The cornelian cherry or cornus mas isn't a cherry tree at all, but rather, in the dogwood family. This low-maintenance tree grows up to be relatively small in stature but packs a four-season punch, with yellow flowers in early spring, bright red summer berries and attractive foliage and bark in fall and winter.
The tree is native to regions like Ukraine, Turkey and Georgia and is so-named possibly due to the berries' resemblance to carnelian gemstones.
When the tree's berries form, birds and another animals (including humans!) can enjoy the sour, pitted fruits. In its native regions, the cornelian cherry is grown commercially for its fruit to be used for medicinal purposes, preserves and juices. The fruits can also be salted and pickled like olives.
The easy-to-care-for tree grows slowly and reaches about 15 feet tall at maturity and will blossom consistently in spring. It'll be one of the first plants in your landscape to flower, providing a critical food source for pollinators who've made it through the winter and are looking for food.
In summer, the tree produces cherry-like fruits, which the birds usually get first. But if there are any left, you can eat them, too! In the fall, the cornelian cherry has beautiful purple foliage, and when it drops all its leaves, the bark exfoliates and provides great color contrast amongst the snow.
If you are really into the fruit and want to ensure an abundant crop, plant two different varieties to ensure cross-pollination. Choose types like "Red Dawn" and "Red Star," which will grow larger fruits that almost resemble cherry tomatoes. And for a different twist, the type called "Yantarny" will grow with variegated, tri-colored foliage and yellow fruits.
When to prune a homegrown avocado tree
Q: I started an avocado tree from a pit about three years ago. I put it outside in the spring and bring it back in in September and right now it’s so big its big branches are all bending sideways. Would it be alright to prune it and if so, when should I do this? Right now the tree is in a medium-sized pot but I think I’ll need to replant it into something larger. When would be a good time to do this? Is it realistic to hope for fruit? - Kathy, in Quebec
A: Spring is the right time to prune your indoor avocado tree, and you can cut it back a foot or two, right above the side buds. You could even safely remove a few side branches; this will help it bush out more.
As this is a seed-grown avocado, it's not likely that it will produce fruit. But if you'd like to try growing avocado, there are varieties that purportedly produce fruit when grown indoors.
The type called "Day," from Logee's Greenhouses in Connecticut, is a dwarf avocado tree variety and supposedly fruits. Perhaps give that a try and let us know how it goes!
Why an amaryllis might grow surprisingly tall
Q: I thought you would get a kick out of my super tall amaryllis. Just curious if you had any idea why it is so tall? This is its second year, and I didn't take care of it properly over the summer and fall. I just kept it out in front of the window the whole time. - Jessica, via email
A: Your super-tall amaryllis may have not gotten enough light, which caused the stalk to stretch out and grow quite tall.
If you have a grow light or something that could supply more supplemental light in the middle of winter, that may help the plant stay a bit shorter.
More: Go for easy-care amaryllis bulbs to bring in bright blooms this winter
There's no harm in having your amaryllis grow this tall, and it's certainly a conversation piece!
You can grow amaryllis bulbs and get the plant to flower for two or three years without a lot of work.
Ailing branches on an otherwise healthy cactus
Q: This is my cactus. It's very healthy and I’ve had it for about six years. However, sometimes, part of the plant starts to turn yellow and shrivel up. It dies very slowly and takes many weeks before I break it off from the rest of the plant. The first two pictures give you two views of the one part I removed. The full plant looks very healthy. Do you know what might be causing this to happen? I water it sparingly when the soil is very dry, about two times per week. It’s in a very sunny window and it gets steam from the faucet when I’m running the hot water which is about two times a day. - Alice, via email
A: Overall, the cactus does look very healthy but this issue could perhaps be some kind of fungal disease, as overwatering doesn't seem to be the issue. This yellowing could also be due to the container having inadequate drainage.
If so, the cactus might benefit from being repotted into a cactus mix type of soil, which is very dry.
And this might not be the first thing you think of when it comes to cactus, but the yellowing on the branches could also be caused by sunburn. Because our region has such cloudy, short days in the winter, when the sun does come out and it's really bright — especially if the sun reflects off the snow — the cactus' stems and leaves can get too much sun.
In those conditions, pull the plant away from that window in the wintertime, or when the weather becomes sunny quickly.
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