Illustration
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Flowering Dogwood blooms from April through May.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Flowering Dogwood
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–9. Expect it to reach about 23 ft tall and 23 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 12 years (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Flowering Dogwood
Plant Flowering Dogwood in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 7, the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means September or October. Once settled, it blooms from April to May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 7, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 7 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Flowering Dogwood get?
23 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult23 ftwideSee Flowering Dogwood in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Flowering Dogwood
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give Flowering Dogwood about 23 ft of clear ground in every direction, measured from its center. It is one plant with room around it, not a row, and a raised bed is too small for it.
Add Flowering Dogwood to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Flowering Dogwood's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 12 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterClemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center, Dogwoodheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionGardener Plant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- pubs.ext.vt.eduVirginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, publication 3010-1484height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- The Morton Arboretumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- edgeofthewoodsnursery.comEdge of the Woods Native Plant Nurseryheight, spread, sun and trait tags
- Oregon State UniversityLandscape Plantsheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- University of Florida IFASExtension, ENH344/ST185height, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterNative Plant Information Networkheight, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Department of ConservationField Guideheight, spread and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread and sun
- srs.fs.usda.govUSDA Forest Service, Silvics of North America, Cornus floridaheight
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
11 more colors in the Dogwood group
Same genus, similar care - pick the one you are growing.
- Cherokee Brave
- Cherokee Chief
- Cherokee Princess
- Cloud Nine
- Cornelian Cherry
- Kousa
- Milky Way Kousa
- Pink
- Satomi Kousa
- Stellar Pink
- Wolf Eyes
Compare every variety in the Dogwood group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee Brave | Pink | Apr–May | Zones 5–9 | Part shade | 20 ft × 20 ft |
| Cherokee Chief | Red | Apr–May | Zones 5–9 | Part shade | 20 ft × 20 ft |
| Cherokee Princess | White | Apr–May | Zones 5–9 | Part shade | 20 ft × 20 ft |
| Cloud Nine | White | Apr–May | Zones 5–9 | Part shade | 20 ft × 20 ft |
| Cornelian Cherry | Yellow | Mar | Zones 4–8 | Full sun | 20 ft × 16 ft |
| Floweringthis page | White | Apr–May | Zones 5–9 | Part shade | 23 ft × 23 ft |
| Kousa | White | May–Jun | Zones 5–8 | Part shade | 20 ft × 20 ft |
| Milky Way Kousa | White | May–Jun | Zones 5–8 | Part shade | 20 ft × 20 ft |
| Pink | Pink | Apr–May | Zones 5–9 | Part shade | 20 ft × 20 ft |
| Satomi Kousa | Pink | May–Jun | Zones 5–8 | Part shade | 20 ft × 20 ft |
| Stellar Pink | Pink | May | Zones 5–8 | Part shade | 20 ft × 20 ft |
| Wolf Eyes | White | May–Jun | Zones 5–8 | Part shade | 10 ft × 10 ft |
Good to know about Flowering Dogwood
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Safety
The bitter red fruit is not for eating; USDA calls it poisonous to humans, though ASPCA does not list it as toxic to dogs or cats. per USDA and ASPCA
Worth knowing
The showy spring 'flowers' are really four petal-like white, pink, or red bracts (modified leaves). The true flowers are the small greenish-yellow cluster at the center. per NC State
How risky is anthracnose?
It devastated wild trees in cool, moist mountain and northern forests but is uncommon on warm, sunny, low-elevation sites. Siting and cultivar choice decide the risk. per UMass and NC State
Red berries feed wildlife
Glossy red drupes about 0.5 inch long ripen in fall and feed songbirds, wild turkey, chipmunks, squirrels, foxes, deer, and black bear; they are high in calcium and fat. per NC State
Red to purple fall color
Autumn foliage turns red to reddish-purple, strongest on trees getting more sun and muted in heavy shade. per NC State
Protect the trunk
The dogwood borer tunnels under the bark and can girdle and kill branches. Wounds are its entry point, so keep mowers and string trimmers off the trunk. per Clemson
Resistant cultivars fight disease
Cornus kousa and Rutgers 'Stellar' hybrids resist anthracnose; the C. florida 'Appalachian' series resists powdery mildew, with 'Appalachian Spring' also resisting anthracnose. One choice covers several diseases. per UMass
What pairs well with Flowering Dogwood
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Camellia
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in midwinter, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Rhododendron
Shares part shade and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into early summer; both are strong pollinator plants; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Meadow Rue
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; shorter at 4 ft, an understory layer.
Goatsbeard
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; shorter at 4 ft, an understory layer.
Beautyberry
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; shorter at 5 ft, an understory layer.
Spiderwort
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; both are North American natives.
Japanese Stewartia
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its white flowers settle the white.
Flowering Tobacco
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its white flowers settle the white.
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Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.