Flowering Dogwood Tree Facts

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Overview

Flowering dogwoods are known by the name Cornus florida or simply "dogwood". They are in the dogwood family of plants, called Cornaceae. They flower with nice white flowers and have good fall color.

Dogwoods fill their crown with showy flowers. image by "Only rarely is the Jinxlet captured on film in mid-frolic" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Brendan Adkins (Brendan Adkins) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.

Description

Dogwood is a smaller tree, approximately 30 feet in height and 35 feet in width. It has green leaves that turn red and purple with the fall. Flowers are four petals (white or pink), and cluster. The red fruits are 1/2 inch long and shaped like a football.

Growth

Cornus florida needs partial shade but can tolerate full sun. Full sun is best in northern areas and partial shade in the hotter southern areas. It must be watered during droughts, but will be fine with normal dry periods.

Hardiness

The flowering dogwood is hardy in USDA hardiness zones of 5 to 9.

Propagate

To propagate the dogwood you must use greenwood cuttings if in spring. For summer propagation, you need hardwood cuttings.

Disease

Diseases that can blight a dogwood can include dogwood blight, cankers, leaf blight, or powdery mildew. Also twig borers can infest a tree. These occur more frequently in wet weather.

Fun Facts

They are a favorite among birds and the squirrels for the red fruits.

References

Floridata

Keywords: dogwood, cornus florida, flowering dogwood

About this Author

T.M. Samuels has been a freelance writer since 1993. She has published works in "Arthritis Today," "Alabama Living" and "Mature Years," and is the author of a gardening book. Samuels studied pre-medicine at Berry College.

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