Cornus Florida - Cultivation

Cultivation

Flowering dogwood does best horticulturally in moist, acidic soil in a site with some afternoon shade, but good morning sun. It does not do well when exposed to intense heat sources such as adjacent parking lots or air conditioning compressors. It also has a low salinity tolerance. The hardiness zone is 5-9 and the preferred PH is between 6.0-7.0. In urban and suburban settings, care should be taken not to inflict mower damage on the trunk or roots, as this increases the tree’s susceptibility to disease and pest pressure.

In regions where dogwood anthracnose is a problem, homeowners and public land managers are encouraged to know the symptoms and inspect trees frequently. The selection of healthy, disease-free planting stock is essential and transplanting trees from the forest should be avoided. Sites should be selected for reasonably well-drained, fertile soils; full sun is recommended in high-hazard areas (such as stream or pond banks). New plantings should be mulched to a depth of 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm), avoiding the stem. Dead wood and leaves should be pruned and completely removed and destroyed yearly. Plants should be watered weekly during droughts, with watering done in the morning, avoiding wetting the foliage. Registered fungicides can be applied when necessary, according to manufacturers instructions and advice of local Extension Service.

Flowering dogwood is grown widely throughout the temperate world.

Selected cultivars

• ‘Amerika Touch-O-Pink’ – large bracts, tinged pink; large leaves; good disease resistance.
• ‘Appalachian Spring’ – large white bracts; red fall foliage; resistant to dogwood anthracnose.
• 'Autumn Gold' - white bracts; yellow fall color.
• 'Barton' - large white bracts; blooms at early age; resistant to stem canker and powdery mildew.
• 'Bay Beauty' - double white bracts; resists heat and drought; good for Deep South.
• 'Cherokee Daybreak' - white bract; vigorous grower with variegated leaves.
• 'Cherokee Chief' - red bracts; red new growth. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
• 'Cherokee Brave' - Even redder than 'Cherokee Chief', smaller bracts but dark red color; consistently resistant to powdery mildew.
• 'Cherokee Princess' - vigorous white bracts, industry standard for white flowers.
• 'Cherokee Sunset' - purplish-red bracts; variegated foliage.
• 'Gulf Coast Pink' - best pink flowering dogwood in Florida – northern part only.
• 'Hohman's Gold' - white bracts; variegated foliage.
• ‘Jean’s Appalachian Snow’ – large, overlapping white bracts w/ green flowers; very resistant to powdery mildew.
• ‘Karen’s Appalachian Blush’ – delicate white bracts edged in pink; some powdery mildew resistance.
• ‘Kay’s Appalachian Mist’ – stiff, creamy white bracts; red fall foliage; good resistance to powdery mildew.
• 'Plena' - double white bracts; spot anthracnose-resistant.
• 'Purple Glory' - red bracts; purple foliage; spot anthracnose-resistant but susceptible to stem canker.
• 'Weaver White' - large white blooms; large leaves; candelabra shape; good in north-central Florida.