Flowering Dogwood

Cornus florida

tree

Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is the beloved native understory tree of eastern woods, 15 to 25 ft tall, wreathed in spring in showy white (or pink) bracts, followed by glossy red berries in fall and deep maroon foliage. A small, layered, graceful tree of dappled woodland edges, it was traditionally valued for its dense, hard wood. It is grown above all as one of the finest flowering ornamentals for light shade, and its bark is the traditionally harvested part. It needs cool, moist, acid soil and protection from hot afternoon sun.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Wild Ginger — A shade groundcover for the cool, moist soil beneath the dogwood
• Trillium — A spring woodland wildflower that shares the dappled shade and rich soil
• Fern — Thrives in the same moist, acidic, partly shaded ground

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Dogwood anthracnose →

  A serious fungal disease at cooler, higher, damp sites - give morning sun and airflow, keep foliage dry, and remove infected leaves and twigs

• Dogwood borer →

  Bores stressed or wounded trunks; avoid bark injuries (mowers, trimmers) and keep the tree vigorous

• Powdery mildew →

  White film on leaves in humid shade; choose resistant selections and ensure airflow

🌾 Harvest & storage

Harvest the bark in fall, traditionally, when its bitter principle was considered strongest, taking it only from branches removed in pruning rather than from the trunk of this slow, special tree. Peel and dry the inner bark thoroughly for use as a bitter tea. Given how prized the tree is as an ornamental, most growers take only what prunings yield. The red fall berries are for the birds - they are not a human food.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Flowering dogwood is not a food plant - its bright berries are for wildlife, not people - and it is grown chiefly as one of the most beautiful native flowering trees for light shade. Its dense, hard wood was historically prized for tool handles and mallets. Its real reward in the garden is the spring bloom, the fall color and berries, and the birds it feeds.