USDA Plants Database
NWF Native Gardening and Invasive Plants Guide
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida (Cornaceae family)
Native Range:
Native from Massachusetts to central Florida and west to Texas, Mexico, and Ontario.
Habit:
A small, low-branched tree with spreading horizontal branches. Dogwoods have a very distinct winter form and habit.
Culture:
Dogwoods prefer light shade or sun. If planted in a sunny location they should be mulched to keep the roots cool and moist. Does well in acidic, well-drained soil. They do best when planted as balled and burlaped young trees in spring or fall.
Leaves:
Their leaves emerge as bronze-green and change to deep green during the summer months. Mature leaves are oval in shape. Fall leaf color is a beautiful deep-red to purple with the leaves changing color earlier (September in Washington, D.C.) than most other trees.
Flowers:
The true flowers of dogwoods are small, inconspicuous, and green. They are surrounded by four, large, showy bracts. The bracts are usually white with a hint of pink.
Fruit:
Bright red berries, produced in the fall (September and October in D.C.), are very showy. Dogwoods often re-seed themselves.
Wildlife Value:
The bright-red fruits are eaten by a great variety of birds when they ripen in the fall. Scarlet Tanagers, Cedar Waxwings, American Robins, and Eastern Bluebirds are especially fond of the fruits. Robins often build their nests on this tree's horizontal branches.
Flowering dogwoods are one of the most popular flowering trees in the United States. They are truly a four-season tree, and would make a great addition to any naturalized or formal garden setting. There are many new cultivars commercially available.
References:
Wasowski, S. and A. Wasowski. Gardening with Native Plants of the South. 1994. Taylor Publishing Company. Dallas, Texas.
