Golden Glory is a multi-stemmed upright form of Cornelian cherry that was introduced by the Synnesvedt Nursery Company of Illinois. A particularly hardy plant, it is more vigorous than the species and thus suitable for the northern Midwest. The plant is a multi-stemmed, low-branching, round to oval, deciduous shrub or small tree that typically grows 15 – 20 feet tall. It features tiny, star-like, yellow flowers that appear in March before the foliage and deep green, oval leaves turn to a purple tinge in autumn. Flowers give way to tiny red berries that mature in the summer. The attractive grayish-brown bark exfoliates on mature branches.

Members of the genus Cornus, commonly known as dogwoods, are welcome in the home garden for their multi-season interest -- be it flowers, fruit, foliage, and/or bark -- and their range of forms from small trees to suckering shrubs. The dominant display, however, varies among the species.

Dogwoods are native to cooler temperate areas of North America and Asia. The genus includes 45-60 species, divided into subgenera about which taxonomists disagree. The Chicago Botanic Garden's collection includes almost 100 varieties of dogwood from 20 species (7 of which are native) and over 2,400 plants.