Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Flowering Dogwood blooms from April through May.
Mature size, 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.
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.
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. For the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 9 range, 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: for the middle of its range, start with zone 7 in March.
11 more colors in the Dogwood family
Same family, similar care - pick the one you are growing.
Good to know about Flowering Dogwood
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
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; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; shorter at 6.6 ft, an understory layer.
Northern Sea Oats
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in midsummer, extending the bed's season; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; low at 3.3 ft, to carpet the ground beneath it.
Rhododendron
Shares part shade and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into early summer; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; shorter at 5.9 ft, an understory layer.
Goatsbeard
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; shorter at 3.9 ft, an understory layer; both are native plants.
Spiderwort
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both are native plants; a soft color beside the white.
Witch Hazel
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; shorter at 9.8 ft, an understory layer; both are native plants.
Christmas Fern
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; both are native plants.
Meadow Rue
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; shorter at 3.9 ft, an understory layer; a soft color beside the white.
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