If you are looking for a medium-sized shrub with year-round interest to fill in a border or curb erosion on a bare slope, this Pennsylvania Horticultural Society award-winner is for you. This plant is an upright suckering shrub, so it will not only command attention with its verticality, but can also form a thicket if allowed. A cultivar of the Yellow Twig Dogwood, ‘Silver and Gold’ appeared as a chance variation with variegated leaves—celadon green edged in creamy white—that make it stand out from other twig dogwoods in summer. Add to that its yellow to reddish purple autumn foliage and bright yellow winter stems and it’s clear this deciduous shrub never stops showing off. Modest white flowers appear in late spring, followed in late summer by clusters of white berries that birds enjoy.
Conditions: Full sun to part shade; moist, organically rich soil
Size: 5’-7’ tall, 6’-8’ spread
Zone: 3 - 8
Wildlife Value: Flowers attract butterflies and native bees; berries provide food for birds
Photos: Samantha Nestory