Cornus is a genus of about 30- 60 species of woody trees and shrubs, commonly known as dogwoods. Most are deciduous, but a few are more like herbaceous perennials (subshrubs) and some are evergreen. Cornus is the latin word for ‘horn’ referring to the hardness of the wood.
The name “dog-tree” was recorded in 1548, and this had changed to “dogwood” by 1614. After this the plants soon became known as the Hound’s Tree, while the fruits came to be known as dogberries or houndberries (the latter is also the name given to the fruits of the black nightshade- alluding to Hecate’s hounds).
The plants may have become known as ‘dogwoods’ from the Old English word dagwood, which refers to the ways it’s slender stems of very hard wood were used to make “dags” (daggers, skewers, and arrows).
Another, earlier name of the dogwood in English is the whipple-tree. Chaucer refers to the “whippletree” in The Canterbury Tales (‘The Knight’s Tale- verse 2065). A whippletree is also a part of a horse – drawn cart; the link between the drawpole of the cart and the harnesses of the horses lined up behind one another, and commonly carved from the Whippletree or Dogwood.
Cornus florida- flowers 
Cornus florida- flower detail 
Cornus alba- flowers 
Cornus kousa- fruit 
Cornus snaguineus- flower 
Cornus capitata- flower and form 
Cornus mas – flowers
Cornus florida- flowers
Cornus florida- flower detail
Cornus alba- flowers
Cornus kousa- fruit
Cornus snaguineus- flower
Cornus capitata- flower and form
Cornus mas – flowers
Some of the Cornus species names are:
C. alba = white
C. canadensis = of Canada
C. candidissima = very white- the flowers
C. capitata = headed- the grouping of flowers
C. florida = flowering richly
C. fragifera = strawberry-like – the fruits
C. glabrata = glabrous
C. kousa = a japanese name
C. mas = male (mascula of Linnaeus)
C. nuttallii = after Nuttall
C. sanguinea = blood-red- the twigs
Cornus are either grown for their flowers, interesting leaves (some both of interest during summer and autumn) or for their colourful winter stems. These are just coming into their own in winter gardens around Britain – including Old School Garden. I have several groups of C. alba ‘Sibirica’, C. sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ and C. sericea ‘Flaviramea’ (some grown easily from hardwood cuttings). I ‘stool’ these (i.e. cut the stems to the base) each spring to encourage new growth, which once the leaves have fallen (these are also very colourful in the autumn), reveals bright red, orange and yellow- green stems, which really glow in the winter sunshine..
Cornus sanguinea ‘Winter Beauty’ -stems 
Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’- stems 
Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ -stems 
Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’- stems 
Cambridge Botanic Garden- a wonderful winter garden showing use of Cornus stem colour
Cornus sanguinea ‘Winter Beauty’ -stems
Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’- stems
Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ -stems
Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’- stems
Cambridge Botanic Garden- a wonderful winter garden showing use of Cornus stem colour
So it’s coming up to Christmas and those traditional displays of greenery in the house like Mistletoe, Ivy and of course Holly are being assembled as I write. But someone in Cumbria has a problem. George Alloway in Cockermouth asks:
Old School Garden 