The dogwoods range from tiny, 6-inch Cornus canadensis to 75-foot Cornus nuttallii whose large white flowers are shown above in the photograph by Jeannette Grossman. Dogwoods flower in white, pink, red, and yellow shades. In addition to the common sorts, they come in exciting weeping, variegated-leaf, and double-white forms. And, as most of us readily … Read more
No tree native to the northern part of the United States makes a better specimen than the common flowering dogwood found wild over the entire eastern part of the country. The pink- or red-flowered form, rare in nature, is tops in colorful beauty when it is in flower. Horticulturists propagate it by budding and grafting. … Read more
Few garden plants are as truly American or as deeply loved and appreciated as flowering dogwood. Dogwood blooms wild in the woods in early spring from Massachusetts to Florida, then west to the Great Lakes and Texas. Picturesque sprays of white flowers, set on delicate branches, unfold just as the leaves of other forest trees … Read more
Do you know that the little bunchberry or dwarf that comes from our northern woods is closely related to the flowering dogwood? Do you know, too, that the cornelian cherry and the red osier dogwood are also related? These and other true dogwoods form an outstanding group of plants that have many important uses in … Read more
If there is one American plant truly deserving of recommendation for ornamental use over a greater part of the United States, it is the flowering dogwood. Commonly distributed in the woodlands over half the country at least, Cornus florida has been a highly valued ornamental since colonial times, and justly so. One can seldom go … Read more
At the same time that spring-flowering trees are adding spectacular beauty to a garden picture, their tree foams accent the mass-like shape of bushes in the shrubbery border, planted near the house or in the garden. Their different forms tend to pull a design together rather than crowd it, as often happens when too many … Read more
In selecting plants for decorative winter effects, do not limit your list to evergreens. Several deciduous trees and shrubs are outstanding for their beauty in winter. One of these, Tatarian dogwood, Cornus alba, has bright red or purplish branches which stand out with great effectiveness in the winter sunshine. This shrub dogwood is a member … Read more