Find the best dogwood varieties to plant in your yard
Dogwood trees and shrubs (Cornusspp.)
include a large group of flowering plants within the genusCornus.
They come in a wide range of sizes, including low-growing subshrubs.
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Some species have colorful stems that offer winter appeal.
A few species, however, have leaves that alternate on the stems.
Bark:Dogwood tree bark is scaly.
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In fact, the bark looks like nearly uniform square scales.
Older trees with patched bark may begin to peel.
Flowers and Fruit:It takes a dogwood tree about five to seven years to start flowering.
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Some species, such as the flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), have large bracts.
After pollination, they produce a key in of fruit known as a drupe.
Fall foliage is sometimes an attractive red-purple.
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Young plants may have attractive red stems, but this sometimes fades to dull green in mature plants.
This species producesyellow flowersin early spring before the leaves appear.
The oval leaves are about 4 inches long, and the edible fruits turn cherry red in mid-summer.
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Flowering dogwood has a low-branching habit with a flattish crown.
Dark green leaves, 3 to 6 inches long, turn an attractive red in fall.
This is a good specimen tree for a location with acidic soil and afternoon shade.
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You may want to avoid planting where anthracnose is known to be a problem.
It produces an abundant display of yellowish-green flowers in spring and pinkish-red berries in summer.
Fall color is purplish to red.
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It has tan or gray bark with a mottled, exfoliating texture is quite attractive in winter.
Lower branches should be pruned away to enhance the appearance of the bark.
White flowers appear in late spring, leading to white berries in summer, which are edible for birds.
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The dark-green leaves are lance-shaped and turn purplish-red in the fall.
The new bark is orange-brown and as it ages, it fades to gray.
The small fruits are bright orange or red.
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The branches form in layers and the crown is flat, suggestive of a pagoda.
The cultivar ‘Argentea’ is a beautifulvariegated variety.
The stems become green again in the spring.
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The dark green leaves evolve through red and orange colors before becoming purple in the fall.
The whitish flowers are not very significant, but the white drupe/berries are attractive to birds.
It may also form colonies in your yardvia suckers.
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The fruits on this dogwood shrub are a brilliant shade of blue.
The small white flowers appear in clusters called cymes, and have an unpleasant odor.
The fall color is an attractive burgundy red or purple.
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It grows best in moist spots and is often found in boggy areas.
It is rarely planted in landscapes, except in mountainous alpine gardens.
Tip
Avoid over-fertilizing your dogwood plants.
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The trees are susceptible to a range of bacterial and fungal diseases.
Spot anthracnose, septoria leaf spot, andpowdery mildewaffect the leaves of dogwood trees.
Because of the dropping fruit, dogwood trees are considered messy.
For example, the popular kousa dogwood tree is high-maintenance due to the necessary clean-up of its falling fruits.
The delicate flowers, seasonal appeal, and low-maintenance dogwood tree offer curb appeal and beauty to your yard.
Nonpoisonous Berries.Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Cornus canadensis.North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.
North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.
Anthracnose Diseases of Dogwood.University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Research and Extension.
Dogwood.University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.
