If you’re looking for a stunning focal point for your garden, few trees can match the four-season appeal of dogwoods. Understanding the different types of dogwood trees – beautiful flowering varieties can help you choose the perfect one for your space. These trees offer more than just spring blooms; many provide vibrant fall color, interesting winter silhouettes, and attractive berries for wildlife.
From the classic flowering dogwood to unique shrubs and groundcovers, there’s a dogwood for almost every landscape. Let’s look at some of the most popular and beautiful varieties you can grow.
Types of Dogwood Trees – Beautiful Flowering Varieties
This main category includes the trees most people imagine. They are typically small to medium-sized, perfect for residential gardens. Their spring flowers are actually bracts—modified leaves that surround the tiny, true flowers.
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)
This native North American tree is a classic. It’s known for its iconic white or pink spring blooms that appear before the leaves. It thrives in part shade and well-drained, acidic soil.
- Cherokee Princess: A robust white-flowering cultivar known for its large, pure white bracts and heavy blooming.
- Cherokee Chief: Offers stunning deep pink to red bracts. Its new foliage also has a reddish tint.
- Cloud 9: A prolific, early-blooming variety with overlapping white bracts. It’s also known for good disease resistance.
Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa)
Also called Chinese or Japanese dogwood, this species blooms later than Cornus florida, after its leaves have emerged. It’s valued for its excellent resistance to dogwood anthracnose and powdery mildew. The flowers have a more pointed, starry shape.
- Satomi (or Miss Satomi): One of the most popular pink Kousas, featuring deep rose-pink bracts and attractive reddish-purple fall color.
- Wolf Eyes: A stunning variegated cultivar with creamy white-edged leaves and white flowers. It’s a smaller, shrubby tree.
- National: A strong, vase-shaped tree with large, white bracts that can last for up to six weeks.
Pacific Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii)
This West Coast native is the state flower of British Columbia. It produces spectacular, large white bracts, sometimes with a pink blush. It can be tricky to grow outside its native coastal range, preferring cool, moist conditions.
Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas)
This is actually a large shrub or small tree that blooms very early in spring, with clusters of small, bright yellow flowers. It’s followed by edible, cherry-red fruits in late summer. It’s incredibly tough and adaptable.
Hybrid Dogwoods
Breeders have created crosses between species to combine the best traits, like the beauty of C. florida with the disease resistance of C. kousa.
- Stellar Series (e.g., Constellation, Aurora): These Rutgers University hybrids offer large flowers, strong branching, and good disease resistance. They come in white and pink forms.
- Venus: A remarkable hybrid known for its enormous white flower bracts, which can be up to 6 inches across.
Beautiful Dogwood Shrubs and Groundcovers
Not all beautiful dogwoods are trees. Several shrub varieties offer incredible color and form for landscaping.
Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea)
Grown primarily for its brilliant, fire-engine red stems that light up the winter landscape. It’s a fast-growing, spreading shrub.
- Arctic Fire: A more compact cultivar with bright red stems, perfect for smaller gardens.
- Cardinal: Known for its exceptionally vibrant, cherry-red winter stems.
Yellow Twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’)
This variety provides stunning bright yellow-green stems in winter, creating amazing contrast when planted near the red-twig types.
Variegated Leaf Shrubs
These add light and brightness to shady garden spots with their foliage.
- Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’: Features gray-green leaves with creamy white margins and red winter stems.
- Cornus alternifolia ‘Argentea’ (Variegated Pagoda Dogwood): A small tree or large shrub with stunning layered branches and leaves edged in white.
Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
A charming native groundcover that only grows 6-8 inches tall. It forms a carpet of green leaves, produces four-petaled white flowers in spring, and has bright red berries in fall. It requires acidic, moist soil and shade.
How to Choose and Plant Your Dogwood
Picking the right spot is crucial for your dogwood to thrive. Here’s a simple guide.
Selecting the Right Variety
- For classic spring blooms: Choose a Cornus florida or Cornus kousa variety.
- For winter interest: Plant Red Twig or Yellow Twig Dogwood shrubs.
- For small spaces: Consider a Kousa cultivar like ‘Little Poncho’ or a shrub form.
- For challenging sites: Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas) is very tolerant of poor soil and urban conditions.
Planting Steps
- Timing: Plant in early spring or early fall.
- Location: Most flowering dogwoods prefer morning sun and afternoon shade, or dappled light all day. Well-drained soil is essential.
- The Hole: Dig a hole two to three times wider than the root ball, but no deeper.
- Placement: Set the tree so the top of the root ball is slightly above the surrounding soil level. Backfill with the native soil.
- Watering: Water deeply after planting and apply a 2-3 inch layer of mulch around the base (keep it away from the trunk).
Caring for Your Flowering Dogwood
Once established, dogwoods are relatively low-maintenance, but they do appreciate some attention.
- Watering: Water regularly during the first two years and during dry spells. Dogwoods have shallow roots and can suffer from drought stress.
- Mulching: Maintain a mulch ring to conserve moisture, keep roots cool, and prevent lawnmower damage to the trunk.
- Fertilizing: Use a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring if growth seems poor. Avoid over-fertilizing.
- Pruning: Prune in late fall or winter when the tree is dormant. Remove dead, damaged, or crossing branches to maintain an open shape. Minimal pruning is usually best.
Common Issues and Solutions
Being aware of potential problems helps you act quickly.
- Dogwood Anthracnose: A fungal disease causing leaf spots and dieback. Choose resistant Kousa or hybrid varieties, ensure good air circulation, and avoid overhead watering.
- Powdery Mildew: Appears as a white coating on leaves. Resistant varieties are the best defense.
- Borers: Insects that tunnel into trunks. Keep trees healthy and unstressed to avoid infestation; a stressed tree is more suseptible.
- Leaf Scorch: Brown, crispy leaf edges often caused by drought, wind, or too much sun. Provide adequate water and afternoon shade.
FAQ About Flowering Dogwood Trees
What is the most beautiful dogwood tree?
Beauty is subjective, but many gardeners prize the native Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) for its classic, elegant blooms. The hybrid ‘Venus’ is also famous for its incredibly large flowers.
Which dogwood has the longest lasting flowers?
Kousa dogwoods generally have a longer bloom period than Flowering Dogwoods, sometimes lasting up to six weeks. Their pointed bracts also tend to remain attractive as they age.
Are there fast growing dogwood trees?
Dogwoods are generally considered slow to moderate growers. The Red Twig Dogwood shrub (Cornus sericea) is one of the fastest-growing types, but among the flowering trees, Cornus kousa varieties often establish and grow a bit quicker than Cornus florida.
Can dogwoods take full sun?
In cooler climates, they can tolerate full sun if kept consistently moist. In warmer or hotter regions, afternoon shade is crucial to prevent leaf scorch and stress. Morning sun with afternoon shade is the ideal situation for most.
What dogwood tree stays small?
Many Kousa cultivars remain quite compact. ‘Little Poncho’ is a dwarf Kousa that may only reach 8-10 feet tall. Some of the shrub dogwoods, like the Arctic Fire Red Twig, are also perfect for limited spaces.
Adding one or more of these beautiful dogwood varieties to your yard can provide year-round interest. With so many types of dogwood trees – beautiful flowering varieties to choose from, you’re sure to find one that brings you joy for seasons to come. Remember to match the tree to your site conditions for the best success, and you’ll enjoy it’s beauty for many years.