Cornus florida

Flowering Dogwood

Dogwood is a standard tree in many gardens where it is used by the patio for light shade, in the shrub border to add spring and fall color or as a specimen in the lawn or groundcover bed. It can be grown in sun or shade but shaded trees will be less dense, grow more quickly and taller, have poor fall color, and less flowers. Trees prefer shade in the afternoon in the southern end of its range. Plants in full sun are considered more resistant to anthracnose, a lethal disease. It would be difficult to find a better flowering dogwood. This plant is considered mostly allergy free and causes little or no allergy problems in most people. Plants serve as butterfly nectar sources and as hosts for butterfly larvae.
Flowering Dogwood prefers a deep, rich, well-drained, sandy or loam soil and has a moderately long life. It is not recommended for heavy, wet soils unless it is grown on a raised bed to keep roots on the dry side. The roots will rot in soils without adequate drainage. It is not recommended for planting along streets or in parking lots due to intolerance to hot dry conditions. Trees tolerate root disturbance poorly. If it is too hot, too dry, or too wet, tip necrosis and marginal necrosis appear on the foliage.

Height 15-30 Feet

Bloom Color 'White Flowering' 25' 'Pink Flowering' 25' 'Cherokee Princess White Flowering' 30' 'Cherokee Chief Red Flowering'  20'-25'

Characteristics & Attributes