Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Also known as
Arrowwood, American-Boxwood, Dogwood, White Dogwood, Eastern Flowering Dogwood Red-Form, New England boxwood, Pink dogwood
Full Sun
Moderate care
Moderate watering
Frost Hardy
H5
RHS hardiness
-15°C
Minimum temperature
Expected size
Height | Spread | |
|---|---|---|
8m | Max | 8m |
4m | Min | 4m |
25 years to reach maturity
Fruiting
-
spring
-
summer
-
autumn
-
winter
Generally not harvested.
More images of Flowering Dogwood
Flowering Dogwood Overview
Cornus florida is a deciduous tree or shrub species in the Cornaceae family. It develops a broad but conical shape with age. In late spring and early summer, it produces clusters of discrete green flowers that are surrounded by showy white bracts, giving a stunning display. Its commonly known by the name Eastern Flowering Dogwood and it grows well in full sun or partial shade. This species is considered to be the same plant genetically as Cornus florida f. rubra. It is more commonly marketed as a separate plant due to the distinct difference in bract colour. This plant produces white modified leaf structures around its small flowers, compared to the red-pink bracts seen in Cornus florida f. rubra. It displays attractive autumn colouration and is commonly grown for the stems as well as the flowers.
Common problems with Flowering Dogwood
Although generally disease-free they can suffer from Cornus anthracnose.
How to propagate Flowering Dogwood
Cuttings
Take softwood cuttings in summer.
Layering
Propagate from seed or rooted layers struck in a moist sand-peat mixture.
Seed
Special features of Flowering Dogwood
Attracts butterflies
Attracts bees
Attractive fruits
Small red fruits can develop in autumn.
Autumn colour
Leaves turn a purple red colour in autumn before falling.
Attractive flowers
Although the green flowers are small, the 4 large coloured bracts surrounding them provide a lovely display.
Hedge plant
Winter colour
Other uses of Flowering Dogwood
This ornamental, low maintenance and shade-tolerant tree can be used as ground cover on banks and slopes.
