dogwood tree

We grow two types of Dogwood trees, flowering or Florida Dogwood and Kousa or Korean Dogwood. Both are small, specimen trees that produce showy, four petal (bract) flowers in varying shades of white and pink, and green summer foliage that turns red-burgundy in fall. Flowering dogwood is an Ohio native with a rounded crown and strong horizontal branching covered in 3-4″ wide flowers April to May. Kousa varieties grow more upright, vase shaped with 2-4″ wide flowers May to June that produce red raspberry like fruit in fall. Kousa is resistant to anthracnose disease.

Plant in well-drained to moist, amended soil. Water well after planting; maintain 1” of water once a week the first year. Little pruning needed; shapes itself nicely. Prune after flowering if needed. Remove dead branches at any time. Fertilize in early spring, mid-summer and fall with an acidic fertilizer. Follow label instructions. Mulch 2″ to suppress weeds, retain moisture and protect against extremes of soil temperature.