Our native flowering
dogwood (Cornus florida) is an undemanding small tree. They have
beautiful, four-petaled white or pink flowers (bracts, actually), sprinkled
across a full, spreading crown. While known for its spring flowers, the tree’s
bright red berries, which ripen during the summer, are a major draw for wild
birds. Then, in the autumn, the flowering dogwood has a gorgeous purple and red
foliage display.
Cornus florida (zones 5 to 9) grows
to an eventual height of 25 to 30 feet. It typically blooms in May, and the
flowers last two to three weeks. Good cultivars include the white flowered
‘Cloud 9’; ‘Plena,’ a double-flowered white; ‘Pendula,’ a weeping white; pink
flowered ‘Red Cloud’; and ‘Cherokee Chief,’ with reddish-pink bracts.
A tree of the woodland
in its native habitat, the flowering dogwood is usually an understory tree. In
the home garden, it does best when shielded from the afternoon sun. It prefers
reasonably fertile, acidic soil.
Dogwoods need minimal
pruning. To keep your dogwood tree looking in top shape, just remove any dead
or damaged branches, making sure to cut back to a lateral branch. Pruning is
best done in late winter or early spring.
While the flowering
dogwood is only one of 45 different dogwood species, it is the tree that most
people associate with that name. Our native dogwood is found throughout the
eastern seaboard and it grows very well in our Mid-Atlantic region. While Cormus
florida is extremely susceptible to the anthracnose fungus (which causes
die back and eventual mortality), a garden specimen sited correctly and kept
well-watered, especially in its first year, is not likely to be affected.
The Korean dogwood (Cornus
kousa) is hardy from zones 5 to 8, has large, pointed floral bracts in
white and shades of pink, and fall color similar to Cornus florida. It
grows as wide as it does tall, up to 30 feet. A favorite cultivar of mine is ‘Wolf
Eyes,’ with its variegated leaves. This
particular dogwood variety originated as a branch sport at Manor View Farm,
Monkton, MD.
The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine
and edited by intern Allison O'Reilly.
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I'd love to have of these in my garden.
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