Make sure the chosen site is well drained but does not get extremely dry. The dogwood will grow in a wide variety of climates and soils. The uses of dogwood are almost limitless, but careful consideration is important for the survival of the tree. Since they thrive in partial shade, they can be used as an understory tree, especially under the canopy of larger pine trees. They also may be used as a backdrop for azaleas or other spring-flowering shrubs. Dogwoods can serve as a corner planting if spaced well away from the house. Uses in the Landscapeĭogwoods are versatile in the landscape. To round out its year of beauty, the dogwood’s grayblack checkered bark is proudly shown in the winter. The fruit are devoured by many different species of birds.

These red drupes are 1⁄3 inch long and are usually in a cluster of three to five. The dogwood’s fall color from year to year is consistent, but intensity will vary with environmental conditions.Īccompanying this fall foliage are red fruit. The duration of fall color depends on the cultivar but can range from early September to mid-January. In autumn, the leaves turn red or reddish purple. The light-green spring foliage turns to a rich green that furnishes light shade in the long, hot days of summer.

Foliageīesides the grand floral display in the spring, the dogwood produces a luxuriant light-green foliage. These range in color from white, to pink, to red. Many cultivated varieties have been produced from native dogwoods. A naturally occurring variety of the native dogwood, Cornus florida rubra, has pink blooms. Flower color of the native dogwood is a creamy white. The flower size of the dogwood ranges from 3 to 6 inches across. The bloom duration can last from 2 to 4 weeks. The dogwood begins blooming in late March in the southern portion of Alabama and 2 to 3 weeks later in the northern areas of the state. Commonly, both bracts and flowers are referred to together as the flower. The true flowers of the dogwood are small greenish-yellow flowers that bloom shortly after the bracts open in the spring. The bracts are commonly mistaken for the flower, but they are actually modified leaves that encircle the true flowers.

In the spring, the dogwood’s main attraction is its showy bracts. The dogwood adds natural beauty to the landscape year-round. The dogwood is cold hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, so it is well adapted to the entire state of Alabama. It is a deciduous tree that can grow 15 to 30 feet in height and is generally wider than it is tall. The flowering dogwood is native to the eastern half of the United States. The most popular spring flowering tree in Alabama is the flowering dogwood ( Cornus florida).

Cherokee brave dogwood tree size