Flowering dogwood
Cornus florida L.
Also called flowering dogwood.
Layered native understory tree with white spring bracts, red fruit for migrating birds and red-purple fall colour.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 6–9 m (20–30 ft) tall and 6–9 m (20–30 ft) wide; medium growth, about 25 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.25) from the #15 install size.
Bloom
White flowers, Apr–May (northern-hemisphere months; timing shifts with region and season).
| Plant | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flowering dogwood : Apr–May |
Design notes
- Dogwood anthracnose is worst in shady, humid, stagnant sites; give morning sun and air movement.
- Mulch the root zone and keep mowers and string trimmers off the thin bark.
- Shallow roots dislike drought — irrigate the first two summers.
Regions
Native range: Eastern U.S..
Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
Related plants
Plan with Flowering dogwood
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.