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greattigerdane

What variegated bush am I?

greattigerdane
13 years ago

I bought this 8-10" shrub for $5 at the end of the season a few tears ago.

It was labeled as a variegated Weigela. I now wonder if maybe it was labeled wrong, and instead might be a Cornus alba/Variegated Red-Twig Dogwood bush?

As you can see in the photo, the stems are a reddish color.

{{gwi:260301}}

Thanks,

Billy Rae

Comments (10)

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    13 years ago

    Since they both have leaves that emerge in opposite pairs on the stems, it's difficult to tell from this photo. Can you get a close-up of the leaves?

    Weigela has very finely toothed leaves, and my memory is that they have a bit of texture to the leaves.
    Dogwood has entire AKA smooth edges and smooth leaf surfaces except for the strong veins that curve up and toward the tip of the leaf.

  • isabella__MA
    13 years ago

    Without even reading your text and seeing the pic first, my first thought was that looks like my cream and crackers red-twig dogwood. I'm not a hort/botanist or nursery experinced person like the other more experienced poster here, but that's my vote!

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    13 years ago

    if you guys hit the small pic.. it opened to a bigger pic .. and you could magnify that one also

    hit the link... what they said

    ken

    Here is a link that might be useful: link

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    13 years ago

    That is definitely a shrub dogwood - Cornus alba 'Elagantissima', 'Ivory Halo', 'Cream Cracker' or similar. Wiegela doesn't have red stems and the growth habit doesn't match.

  • cgpaytas
    13 years ago

    This was very helpful to me as I have the same plant. Bought it as a little one and it is absolutely huge 3 years later. It's beautiful in the winter with the red twigs against a colorless day.

  • greattigerdane
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thank you everyone!

    I thought it "might" be a dogwood, although I never knew there was such a thing at the time as a dogwood bush, only the tree form....

    I didn't see any teeth on the leaves when I looked closer today, edges are smooth.

    I snapped a couple more shots just in case it was needed.

    {{gwi:260303}}

    {{gwi:260304}}

    Billy Rae

  • Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
    13 years ago

    Looks like one from here. But don't settle on a distance ID: take a leaf, carefully pull apart in two halves width-wise. If there are strings in the three main veins, Cornus.

    Dan

  • prairiemoon2 z6b MA
    13 years ago

    I have 'Ivory Halo' dogwood and yours looks a little different in the variegation. Yours looks a little sparse for a dogwood. Mine is in a lot of shade and still has a pretty full rounded shape.

  • alyciaadamo
    13 years ago

    I am not an overly experienced gardener but I have both variegated Weigela and Ivory halo dogwood(I just got it last fall so it is my first spring). The blooms should really tell you what it is. I don't know if dogwoods bloom or not but Weigelas do even when small. The flowers are tubular almost trumpet like. They are light pink and white.
    I have also noticed how the leaves unfurl, Dogwood from the tips first, Weigela from the base first.
    The bark on my dogwood is deep red but the bark on the Weigela is a reddish brown.

    There are similarities between both but it looks real leggy and it looks like the leaves started from the tip, makes me think more dogwood. But then again I don't know other variegated dogwoods. It doesn't look like my Ivory Halo, the bark doesn't look as deep of a red. Like the other person said try looking Elagantissima or cream cracker. I think there might be another one too not sure.
    I hope I helped some.

  • buyorsell888
    13 years ago

    It's a dogwood. No clue which one though.