Cornelian Cherry

The Story Behind These Cornelian Cherry Varieties

Most of the Cornelian cherries we offer come from the renowned Ukrainian breeding program led by Dr. Svitlana Klymenko at the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden in Kyiv. Over several decades, her team focused on improving Cornus mas as an edible dogwood grown for fruit, selecting for larger fruit, richer color, improved sweetness, reliable ripening, and exceptional cold-hardiness.

These cultivars were released under Ukrainian names, but in North America they’re often sold under friendlier trademarked names. All of the varieties we offer are fruiting Cornelian cherry trees—not ornamental dogwoods—and were developed specifically for eating quality and productivity.

For clarity, here’s how our varieties map to their original breeding designations:

• Coral Blaze™ — Ukrainian ‘Koralovyi Marka’
• Exotica™ — ‘Ekzotychnyi’
• Red Dawn™ — ‘Syretskyi’ / ‘Radost’
• Red Star™ — ‘Vidubetskyi’
• Sunrise™ — ‘Marina’
• Svitlana™ — selection ‘U-26’ (named in honor of Dr. Klymenko)
• Yellow™ — ‘Yantarnyi’
• Elegant™ — ‘Elehantnyi’
• Pioneer™ — ‘Lukianovskyi’

These aren’t random ornamentals—they’re serious fruit cultivars developed for flavor, productivity, early ripening, and cold-climate reliability. If you’re looking for a cold-hardy fruit tree that thrives where many others struggle, these Ukrainian Cornelian cherries are among the finest Cornus mas fruit selections available.