All perform best in partial shade with moist, fertile and slightly acid soil. Older specimens feature peeling bark in mixes of tan, silver and gray.Įach of these dogwoods can be planted as a specimen or used in borders or small groupings. Autumn foliage color varies from yellow to red. Large, hanging fruits, similar in size and shape to red raspberries, are a favorite of birds. Like our native, this species has a delicate limb structure with spreading branches arranged in horizontal layers. When conditions are perfect, blooms last up to six weeks. Large flowers with pointed tips are held on long stems above the foliage, making them especially eye-catching. Though susceptible to a number of pests and diseases, Cornus florida often thrives in good conditions. Fall’s burgundy foliage is survived by small red fruits that persist into winter. Trees are typically flat-topped with layers of horizontal branches making an attractive silhouette. Whatever their color, blooms begin to form about the same time that foliage starts to unfurl, usually in the early days of April.įlowering dogwood can grow to 40 feet tall, but is often smaller. In my garden, I have one tree with white bracts (modified leaves that look like petals) and a second with rosy-pink. Wild flowers are white, but named selections also come in shades of pink to red. The flowering dogwood, considered by many to be our most beautiful native tree, is the second of the trio to bloom. If you’re not familiar with this plant, look for it on your next visit to the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, where a stunning example of the cultivar Golden Glory graces the entry area near the education center. Though the species is not as common in local gardens as the others examined here, the Cornelian cherry dogwood is dependable, has no serious pests or diseases, and deserves wider use. Exfoliating bark, creating blotches of gray and tan, is especially handsome in winter. The edible cherry-size fruits that account for its common name add an extra dash of bright scarlet until the birds are finished feasting. Foliage is shiny green in summer and typically yellow in fall, though some types may turn red. One of the best things about dogwoods is their progression of color and interest throughout the seasons, and Cornus mas is no slacker in this department. Classified as a twiggy shrub, it’s easily shaped into a small tree with multiple trunks that reach 15 to 20 feet tall and wide. Not only our native Cornus florida, but also its Asian cousins, Cornus mas, commonly called the Cornelian cherry dogwood, and Cornus kousa, which is simply known as the kousa dogwood.Ĭornelian cherry dogwood is the earliest of these deciduous woodies to bloom, offering clusters of small, golden yellow flowers in the last weeks of winter before its leaves break bud. I’ve been especially impressed with the dogwood trees. In fact, all the spring-blooming ornamental trees and shrubs in my garden have surpassed their previous flower displays. Now that spring has come to fruition, there’s no question that last summer’s rain has been a boon for the early garden.
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