Dogwood, Flowering

The Flowering Dogwood is a key sign that the end of a long, gray winter is near and the prospect of the springtime renewal is just around the corner.

The Flowering Dogwood is a spectacular flowering tree native to America and is among the most popular small ornamental trees in this country.

The flowering trees can provide an aesthetic and uplifting benefit to their surroundings. The showiness of bloom in the spring is lovely, but the foliage interest that comes with multi-season color is simply community transforming, as we see that some varieties of the tree offer strikingly colorful foliage in autumn as well.

Not only do varieties of the flowers bear fruit that attracts wild birds, but such bearing of fruit serves more than ornamental purposes. The fruits produced are eaten by migrating birds and serve as an important food source for overwintering birds. The fruit is also eaten by ruffed grouse, quail, black bear, deer, chipmunks, skunks, and squirrels. The fruit, flowers, twigs, bark, and leaves are all eaten by a variety of wildlife.

The Flowering Dogwood is a non-native species to Idaho.

Regarding Idaho Fish and Game's observations throughout the years, the gray box on the map to the left is representative of the presence of the Pacific Dogwood (cornus nuttallii) which is a sister species of the Flowering Dogwood.

Most Flowering Dogwoods are imported and planted for aesthetic purposes. They do not occur naturally in Idaho.

These trees are native to the East Coast, but that does not mean they are unable to thrive on the West Coast.

Flowering Dogwoods are known as a plant with four season characters:

• Showy spring flowers

• Summer and fall foliage

• Fall fruit

• Winter branching habit

The ease of maintenance that comes with a Flowering Dogwood is hard to ignore, as they also possess a kind of hardiness to the cold. Winterizing flowering trees is a great idea when they are young, to protect them against the harshness of winter.

All dogwoods are considered low maintenance, which should not be confused with no maintenance. Dogwoods prefer partial sun and nutrient-rich, well-drained soil. The trees normally grow in the understory on lower and middle slopes

A great example is a Pussy Willow (Salix discolor) which is a native American plant and another early-blooming favorite. This shrub is a wetland plant in the wild and is ideal for any landscape that suffers from poor drainage, which means it could be a great addition to urban areas that suffer from poor drainage, cohabitating flowering dogwoods.

[Cornus florida] an American native species (Cherokee Chief)

Cherokee Chief attains a maximum height of about 25 feet with a horizontal spread of about 15 feet. Its springtime flowers are red and yield berries that birds like to eat. In autumn, the leaves turn bronzy red.

Cornus is from the word cornu which means “horn” which refers to the hard wood and resilience of the tree during the winter months.

[Cornus kousa] is known as the Japanese dogwood tree (Rubra)

Rubra is commonly known as pink dogwood or pink flowering dogwood. It also reaches 15-30 feet tall with a similar spread, and it flowers from April to May. Japanese dogwoods are relatively disease-resistant and blossom slightly later in the spring than American dogwoods.

Cultivated varieties are typically divided into groups based on certain characteristics: large flowers, red flowers, fragrant flowers, double flowers, heavy blooming, variegated leaves, dwarf form, or weeping form.

The Flowering Dogwood was introduced into cultivation in the 1730s. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson reportedly planted dogwoods around their estates and gardens.

The wood was used to make weaving shuttles, golf club heads, and for specialty products such as spools and jewelry boxes.

Root, stem, and twig bark was used as a native substitute for quinine, which is a common treatment for malaria (a disease caused by a plasmodium parasite, transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes and is very rare) that can also help with leg cramps and restless legs syndrome.

Disclaimer: It has many medicinal benefits that native peoples discovered and should not be appropriated. I simply include this information because of historical significance, but it should not be appropriated by the predominantly “white” population of Boise unless driven by leadership from native peoples exclusively.

The Flowering Dogwood can be found from Toronto south to the Gulf Coast and from southern Maine to eastern Texas. The tree occurs frequently across Kentucky in dry to wet woods.

It is listed on the Threatened and Endangered Species List in both Maine and Vermont

The Flowering dogwood has been named the state tree of both Virginia and Missouri, and the state flower of North Carolina.

Flowering Dogwood trees can be planted near a home to “soften” the landscape, breaking up vertical or horizontal lines that are too strong.

Some shrubs that pair well with flowering dogwoods are particularly effective in controlling erosion. For example, forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia ‘sunrise’) has a large root system that can help hold back soil on a hill.

Flowering Dogwoods can also provide shade for urban areas and can simply provide attractive foliage that can be an aesthetically defining landscape addition, while also being a part of the urban tree canopy that provides fruit, shade, and beauty.

Flowering Dogwoods could be a wonderful addition to lower-income areas. Not to provide a band-aid on the issues of gentrification or food deserts, but if a tree-planting initiative could potentially provide the foundation for community building and a bringing together of neighbors and folks who may not already have forged a connection. These trees are also so beautiful in the spring, so that also can be a driving factor.

Flowering Dogwood is seriously threatened by “dogwood anthracnose”, which is caused by fungus. The disease rapidly spreads throughout the species’ range, and the trees are typically killed in 2-3 years. The fungus requires high humidity for infection, so trees growing on moist, shady sites are most susceptible.

On the bright side, this is great news for Boise, which we know to be a fairly dry climate

Trees are also susceptible to dogwood borer and powdery mildew (synanthedon scitula) which is a clearwing moth that is attracted to weakened trees, pruning cuts, and sunscald-damaged bark areas.

Bark damage of any kind heals very slowly and flowering dogwood does not tolerate heavy pruning.

Sources:

https://bernheim.org/learn/trees-plants/bernheim-select-urban-trees/flowering-dogwood/

https://www.thespruce.com/twelve-species-dogwood-trees-shrubs-subshrubs-3269662

http://nativeplantspnw.com/pacific-dogwood-cornus-nuttallii/

https://idfg.idaho.gov/species/taxa/60675

https://www.cityofboise.org/media/4078/tvtreeselectionguide_09_2018.pdf