as shrubs, hedges, trees, clumps, or thickets. Dogwoods commonly grow as understory shrubs or trees in naturally moist, fertile soils high in organic matter, and never in poorly drained locations or hot dry areas; however, they are adaptable to several types of soils. Their primary demands are good soil drainage and protection from drought, including deep watering during summer droughts. They do best when planted in association with larger trees that provide light or moderate shade, though some species do best in sun;
ALTERNATELEAF DOGWOOD, PAGODA DOGWOOD (
C. alternifolia).
Height: 15–25 feet.
Spread: 20–30 feet.
Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant, yellow- or creamy-white flowers in May to early June. Green fruits turn pink or red, then blue-black held in red pedicels in June or July, often with all the colors present at the same time. Fall leaves are deep reddish-purple. Tiers of horizontal branches tapering toward the top explain the common name, pagoda dogwood. This is “a highly prized ornamental tree,” writes C. Colston Burrell.
49 “The shrub has year-round appeal. Everything about it is pretty and there is something unique for every season,” write Weeks and Weeks.
50 Cultivation: For tree size, needs full or partial sun in moist soil. Remains a shrub in shade. To restrain golden canker disease, needs open sunny location, plenty of space, mulch over root system but away from the trunks, prune out affected branches, and, importantly, water deeply during summer droughts. Tolerates black walnut tree toxicity.
Zones: 3–7;
GRAY DOGWOOD, SWAMP DOGWOOD, RED-PANICLED DOGWOOD (
C. racemosa).
Height: Often 4–5 feet; sometimes attains 16 feet.
Spread: 10–15 feet.
Ornamental Attributes: Clusters of creamy-white flowers in late spring. White fruits held on bright red panicles that ripen July through October attract migrating and overwintering songbirds due to their high fat content. Leaves turn purple in fall. Red stems create red hazes.
Cultivation: Tolerates alkaline soil. Fairly drought resistant. This tough shrub annoys prairie restorers, but it is a superb addition to other landscapes.
Zones: 4–8;
REDOSIER DOGWOOD, see Winter Shrubs, p. 310;
ROUGHLEAF DOGWOOD, DRUMMOND’S DOGWOOD (
C. drummondii, C. asperifolia).
Height: To 16 feet.
Spread: 10–15 feet.
Ornamental Attributes: Large showy clusters of creamy-yellow flowers in April to June; red twigs; white fall fruits on orange-red pedicels accompany the deep red or purplish fall leaves. Once prairie fires restrained these woody plants in the prairie belt, “but because prairie fires are increasingly rare, roughleaf dogwoods can rise above their shrubby nature to become attractive small trees,” write Sternberg and Wilson.
51 Cultivation: Full sun to shade; dry to moist soil; adapts to most conditions.
Zones: 4–9;
SILKY DOGWOOD, BLUE-FRUITED DOGWOOD (
C. amomum subsp.
obliqua).
Height/Spread: 6–10 feet.
Ornamental Attributes: Four-season interest includes showy, fragrant clusters of white flowers in May to June, gorgeously colored blue fruits displayed on bright red pedicels in August and September, reddish-purple fall leaves, and red twigs and stems resembling redosier dogwood that stand out in winter. Good in shrub borders, massing and naturalizing.
Cultivation: Sun, but tolerates some shade and wet soil, where it forms thickets. Tolerates air pollution and black walnut tree toxicity.
Note: Endangered in part of the Midwest.
Zones: 4–8;
SWAMP DOGWOOD, STIFF DOGWOOD (
C. foemina).
Height: 12 feet.
Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant flowers. It is one of the blue-fruited species of its genus.
Cultivation: Full or partial sun, wet to moist conditions containing significant organic matter.
Zones: 5–9;
ROUNDLEAF DOGWOOD (
C. rugosa).
Height: 3–10 feet.
Ornamental Attributes: Conspicuous white or blue fruits mid-August to late September.
Cultivation: Shade, part shade. Dry soils and well-drained sandy loam soils.
Note: Rare in part of the Midwest.
Zones: 3–5.
Dogwood Nature Note: Dogwood hosts 118 species of Lepidoptera (butterflies/moths), including the spring azure (p. 95) and summer azure (p. 128), giant silkmoths, polyphemus moth (p. 211), dogwood thyativid, and unicorn caterpillar moth. Birds eat the caterpillars and feed them to their offspring. The rare oligolectic bee,
Andrena fragilis, prefers flowers in the genus
Cornus. Dogwoods can be used as part of conservation biological control. Butterflies, wasps, flies, hummingbirds (p. 91), and other beneficial pollinators visit dogwood flowers; warblers and other nesting birds seek the small insects to feed their nestlings; dogwoods have special value to native bees. The specialist dogwood calligraphy beetle eats dogwood foliage; birds eat the beetles. The summer and fall fruits’ (drupes) higher-than-average fat and calorie content causes them to be preferred foods for mammals and huge numbers of songbirds. High-fat berries are an important food source for wintering and migratory birds, which primarily use fat to fuel their migration. A study found fall migrating frugivorous (fruit-eating) birds have a preference for native dogwood fruits.
52 More than 98 bird species eat dogwood fruits, including American robin (
p. 62), gray catbird (
p. 79), yellow-shafted flicker, scarlet tanager, cedar waxwing (
p. 36), eastern bluebird (
p. 61), northern cardinal (
p. 61), northern flicker (p. 99), downy woodpecker, long-tailed chat, eastern kingbird (
p. 55), purple finch (p. 145), crested flycatcher, rose-breasted grosbeak (p. 200), evening grosbeak (p. 162), northern mockingbird (p. 256), brown thrasher (p. 219), wood thrush (p. 175), American crow (p. 244), Baltimore oriole (p. 167), vireos, yellow-bellied sapsucker (
p. 79), tree swallow (
p. 55), greater prairie chicken, bobwhite quail (
p. 36), ruffed grouse (
p. 36), red-bellied woodpecker (
p. 55), red-headed woodpecker (p. 212), pileated woodpecker, wood duck (p. 162), wild turkey (p. 244), tufted titmouse (p. 169), song sparrow (p. 307), and chipping sparrow. Birds and other wildlife use dogwoods for shelter and nesting. Turtles in wetland areas eat the fallen leaves, fruit, and seeds. Mammals eating the fruit and foliage include black bear, beaver, cottontail rabbit, raccoon, squirrels, chipmunk, deer, and moose. The shrubs, especially when massed, provide excellent nesting habitat for songbirds. “These trees and shrubs are some of our most valuable plants for wildlife,” write Sternberg and Wilson.
53 Also see Winter Shrubs for
REDOSIER DOGWOOD, p. 310.
Gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa) Also see p. 268
Roughleaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii)
Andrena spp.
Also see Spring Trees for FLOWERING DOGWOOD, p. 94.
Chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina)
More Native Alternatives:
AMERICAN CRANBERRYBUSH, BLACKHAW & OTHER NATIVE VIBURNUMS, p. 69; CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; CURRANT SPP., p.
