CORNUS. Dogwood. Widespread in North America, Europe and Asia. This is a sizeable group of shrubs and trees, including some of our best-loved ornamentals. The shrubby sorts have generally long, wandlike stems, often making broad thickets. Some of the trees have their branches arranged in horizontal tiers, giving a distinctly oriental effect. In either case, they have large pointed-oval leaves, normally paired along the stems and conspicuously veined. The flowers are small, clustered in many species like those of the viburnums. The white to red, blue or black berries which follow also resemble those of the viburnums. Several species have the true flowers clustered more tightly into a central ball, surrounded by large, usually white or pinkish bracts, which most gardeners see as the flower. Many are deciduous and among the most colorful of all trees and shrubs in the fall. All have attractive winter silhouettes, and some, like C. sibirica, extend the show with brightly painted bark. Sun or light shade, well drained, non-alkaline soil and regular watering except as described below. Their hardiness varies as described.
capitata. Evergreen dogwood. A bushy small tree, nearly round to pyramidal in silhouette and up to 30’ (occasionally more) tall. It has evergreen greyish green leaves and produces clouds of blossoms, with cream-colored to pale yellow bracts up to 4" across, in late spring and early summer. Hardy to 15oF or less.
‘Eddie’s White Wonder’. A fine hybrid between our native C. nuttallii (see below) and C. florida, the eastern dogwood. It grows 25’ or more tall, with closely layered branches and large, lush leaves. In late spring it is gaily decorated with bracted flower clusters, the bract-circles pure white and 4" or more across. Winter-deciduous and hardy to 0oF or less.
glabrata. Brown dogwood, creek dogwood. California and Oregon. A colorful creekside native, of quite variable size and habit. It has generally arching stems, which reach as high as 10’ in this unnamed selection. This one also has attractive purple bark. Set loosely along the main stems are pairs of slender branches, in turn lined by pairs of pointed-oval, slightly greyish green leaves 1-3" long. These can be vividly colored in the fall. In this case the color is plum purple, but in other forms it may range through scarlet to golden yellow. Dense, rounded clusters of small white flowers are carried along the stems in spring. From these develop showy white (in the current selection) to blue berries. If you have space and ample water, this is a truly impressive shrub. It also provides good shelter and forage for birds and other wildlife. Sun or light shade, most soils, regular watering. Hardy to around 0oF.
kousa. A bushy tree 20-30’ tall in age. It holds its branches nearly erect, though nearly hidden on younger plants by dark green 1½" leaves. White, four-bracted flower clusters, the bracts about 3" across, decorate the plant in summer and develop by fall into equally decorative, pendant clusters of bright red berries. Probably 0oF.
omeiense ‘Summer Passion’. I still have only sketchy information on this new dogwood from Piroche Nurseries in Canada. It is described as an evergreen species, up to 30’ tall. The main trunk is upright, the branches spreading to create a shapely head. The leaves are narrow-oval in outline and about 3" long on our plants. They are painted with orange and red in new growth, changing to dark green with a bronze overlay and glossy surface when mature. The small, clustered flowers are light yellow in color. I have not yet seen the berries. Probably 10-15oF.
nuttallii. Western dogwood. Certainly one of our most beautiful native trees, though maddeningly unpredictable in the landscape. Where it thrives, it can reach 30-50’ in time. Though usually strongly upright in growth, it has tiers of horizontal side branches similar to those of the eastern dogwood. The leaves are large and broad, making a beautiful foil for spectacular white blossoms, with bract-circles up to 6" broad, in late spring. Soft pink and orange shades create another spectacle in the fall. It clearly needs well drained, acid soil to succeed, and young plants should be shaded to hold down soil temperatures. 0oF or less.
sericea (stolonifera). Redtwig dogwood. This is one of our western natives, common along shaded creeks. If unrestrained, it forms broad thickets, with well-branched reddish stems reaching 10’ or more. However, it is easily pruned. Leaves are large and broad. Their usual color is bright green during the growing season. They are washed in lovely maroon, pink and orange shades in fall. Small summer clusters of white flowers develop into attractive white to blue berries by fall. ‘Isanti’ is a relatively compact selection with bright red stems, particularly showy in winter. ‘Flaviramea’ is similarly attractive for yellowish stems. There are also clones selected for unusual foliage. One received as ‘Variegata’ has broad leaves with irregular cream margins. Hardy to below 0oF.