How To Grow And Care For Flowering Dogwood Trees

Here in the South, there is one tree deserving of all the springtime adulation it gets—the flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). Maybe it's because they're native and grow wild in our woods. But more than any other tree, for us they herald spring. Flowering dogwoods make an impact in your yard all year long, from flowers in spring to bursts of red in fall. Learn how to select, grow, and care for this all-season beauty—the flowering dogwood tree.

Four Seasons of Dogwood Beauty

There's a lesson I learned in horticulture school that's still true today—no ornamental flowering tree is so beautiful in so many seasons as the flowering dogwood. In spring, clouds of cruciform blossoms of white, pink, or red (yes, red) adorn leafless branches. Though summer isn't its best season, its layered branches and broad, rounded form give it a tidy and classic look.

Autumn is high time for dogwoods once again. Among the first trees to show fall color, their leaves turn scarlet to deep-wine crimson.

And let's not forget the delightful berries that turn bright red about the same time as the leaves change. They remain for as long as the birds will let them. I've seen flocks of hungry robins and cedar waxwings descend like storms on fruiting dogwoods. And heaven help you if you get between a mockingbird and a dogwood he considers "his."

Dogwood is an artful beauty in winter too for its biscuit-shaped flower buds, tiered lacy branches, and gray-brown, pebbled bark. A dogwood's silhouette in winter is pure sculpture.

Plant Attributes

Dogwood Tree Care

Dogwoods grow throughout the South under larger trees at woodland edges. In the garden, it is planted as a shade tree and for its blooms, which are a welcome sign of spring. Dogwoods attract pollinators like butterflies and bees, and birds, deer, squirrels, and foxes eat the berries in the fall and winter. Dogwoods prefer a moist environment but can grow in acidic, loamy, sandy, or clay soils.

Do not buy balled-and-burlapped dogwoods! Most of their roots are cut off when they're dug from the field. You won't know this until you dig up your dead tree. Buy dogwoods grown in containers. Spring or fall planting is best. Dig a hole three times as wide as the root ball, but no deeper. Plant the tree so that the top of the root ball is a half-inch above the soil surface. Water thoroughly, then cover the top of the root ball with several inches of mulch.

Light

Dogwood grows fine in shade, but it won't bloom there. For blooms, it needs at least a half-day of sun. For the heaviest bloom, plant it in full sun. Don't let anyone tell you dogwoods won't grow in full sun. I could point out all the prettiest dogwoods in my neighborhood and almost all grow in full sun.

Soil

Dogwood needs acid, moist, well-drained soil, preferably with some organic matter. If your soil is alkaline (above pH 7), don't bother. Don't assume that because you live east of the Mississippi, you automatically have acid soil. Thanks to buried limestone, plenty of places in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky have alkaline soil. A soil test will reveal the pH of your soil.

Water

Dogwood has shallow roots and suffers readily during extended droughts. The surest sign is when the edges of its leaves scorch. To prevent this, dogwood needs a good soaking once a week in hot, dry weather. If its leaves are wilted in the morning, it's thirsty.

Where to Plant Dogwood Trees

Flowering dogwood isn't a fast grower, but over the years it matures to 20 to 30 feet tall and wide depending on its location. It makes a superb lawn or understory tree and is also good for shading courtyards and patios. Don't plant it where it will get a lot of radiated heat from pavement and masonry in the hot summer, or it will scorch. It also doesn't like polluted air and road salt.

Types of Dogwood Trees

Dogwood is hardy from the Upper Midwest down to the Gulf Coast, but don't let the wide range fool you. Nursery-grown trees from the North do better in the North than ones grown in the South and vice-versa. So if you live in Ohio, plant a selection like 'Spring Grove' (it tolerates 25 degrees below zero). If you live in Tennessee or Alabama, try 'Cherokee Princess' or 'Junior Miss' (they take the Southern heat). The first two have white flowers; the third is pink.

Other dogwood favorites include 'Appalachian Spring' (white flowers, disease resistant), 'Cloud 9' (white flowers, begins blooming at 3 feet tall), and 'Pluribracteata' (double-white blooms).

Pruning Dogwood Trees

Dogwoods don’t need much pruning because of their natural shape. Remove damaged, dead, or diseased wood anytime. Trim branches in fall or winter to maintain size or to help air circulate more freely, which reduces the chance of diseases and pests. Don’t prune in the spring because the cuts provide entry points for boring insects. Prune low branches or any branches growing down or inward so they won’t interfere with the growth of other branches. Trim away any suckers growing at the base of the tree because they use up much of the tree's energy for new growth.

Propagating Dogwood Trees

Dogwood trees are rather easily propagated. In spring after the tree has bloomed, snip off a 3- to 5-inch branch, remove the bottom leaves, and dip the end in rooting hormone. Plant the cutting in a pot filled with soil and mist with water. Cover with a plastic bag to create a greenhouse atmosphere. Check for roots, usually around six weeks. Remove the bag and place the pot in a sunny window, watering regularly. When the cutting outgrows its pot, transfer to a larger container or plant outside.

Common Problems With Dogwood Trees

Stress Due to Pests or Damaged Bark

Healthy dogwoods have few problems. Stressed trees sometimes fall victim to borers that chew holes in the bark near the base of the tree. But most bark problems come from carelessness from mowing or weed-eating too close to the tree which strips off the bark. Bye-bye, dogwood.

Decimation from Fungal Disease

In recent years, a disease called anthracnose has been decimating dogwoods. Whenever a new disease like this pops up, I always suspect something in the environment is stressing trees, like several years of summer drought, etc. Anthracnose causes spots on the new leaves and flowers that eventually infect the twigs and lead to dieback and even death. Fungicide sprays can prevent anthracnose, but the best solution is to plant them in the open (full sun), as trees grown in moist shade seem most susceptible.

Lack of Blooms from Insufficient Light or Poorly Chosen Selections

Why won't your dumb dogwood bloom? The most common cause is planting in too much shade. The other is digging a tree from the wild that may bloom great or hardly at all. In the latter case, you're much better off planting a named selection, such as the ones above, which are chosen for their profuse flowering.

Beyond Dogwoods—Trees With Big Visual Impact

Trees that flower or display vivid, seasonal color are landscape showstoppers. In addition to dogwood, flowering trees like magnolia, cherry blossom, crepe myrtle, forsythia, redbud, and jacarana add drama to the Southern garden. For a shock of fall color, the leaves of serviceberry, gingko, Japanese maple, sugar maple, and Chinese pistache will light up your yard with splashes of reds or yellows.