aboriginal to the Eastern United States , dogwood tree tree ( Cornus florida ) are among the most beautiful of florescence , cosmetic trees . The dogwood tree offer clusters of bright blooms in bounce , followed by shiny green leaves during the summertime and vivid fall foliage . Their branch have an overt word form and pleasing show and their bark has an interesting texture for winter involvement .
Dogwoods , which develop in U.S. Department of Agriculture works hardiness zone 5 through 9 , have a report for being difficult to found . For succeeder , you must duplicate their natural growing environment . Native dogwoods are typically found as understory trees , growing under tall pines or deciduous trees . In this environment , they experience fond shade and shelter from the wind and inhuman . They live in a highly organic , slightly acidulous soil that is amended every year with pine needle , parting and other organic affair .
Planting Dogwood Trees
In the family landscape painting , industrial plant cornel in partial shade . Plant them where they are shelter from the winding by a bulwark , building or larger trees . When possible , amend the grease in an entire bed before planting with compost , mini barque mulch or pine needle . Dogwoods do n’t digest moist foot , so it ’s crucial to ensure the ground drain well . Dogwoods prefer soil with an acidity level between 5.2 and 6.0 . add together atomic number 16 to alkaline dirt the year before you plant the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .
Plant cornel in spring . toil the planting hole as deep and twice as all-embracing as the tree ’s rootball . Do n’t dig up dogwood from the natural state because they ’re often misshapen and wo n’t develop or blossom well . practice nursery transplants , which may either be grafted rootstalk or seedlings . Place the dogwood so it sits at the same soil level as it sat in the nursery . Mulch a young dogwood with 3 to 4 inches of barque or wood chip mulch and water oft as the tree becomes found . A mulch help keep the soil moist , cut down on weeds and also prevents injury from weed trimmer .
Do n’t feed the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree immediately after establish . Instead , fertilize it thinly the following spring with ¼ cupful 10 - 10 - 10 fertilizer . Thereafter , fecundate mature trees with no more than ½ cup 10 - 10 - 10 plant food . If the tree sits in a fertilize lawn , it in all likelihood wo n’t need additional fertilizing .

One of the most unique aspects of cornel is their habit of horizontal branch growth . These undecided branches do n’t require a lot of pruning to uphold their shape . Too much pruning can deface them . Prune in winter to remove branch that are dead , diseased or rub against each other . you could move out a few of the low offshoot , if necessary .
Dogwood Tree Pests and Diseases
dogwood are dependent to more diseases and pest problems than most tree . Some of them , such as anthracnose foliage post , powdery mildew and botrytis leaf mould , make only decorative wrong . Dogwood anthracnose canker sore is commonly fatal to the tree . It causes the leaves , branch and tips to curl , turn brownish and conk out back . The Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree slowly fall back vigor and dies within three to five class . Armillaria root rot and crown canker sore are two other potentially fatal disease of dogwood trees .
To prevent problem , industrial plant disease - resistant Tree adapted to your area . Make certain the soil drains well and avoid injure the tree during planting . Use downpour hose , rather than overhead sprinkler , which can go around disease . Finally , in some case , septic Tree can be treat with antimycotic agent . Call in a professional to properly identify the stipulation and recommend a treatment .
Dogwood borers and applewood borers are two potentially lethal dirt ball pests . These moth larvae bore into the cambium layer of the tree , eventually vote out it . You may remark small , wet area on the barque or a frothy , white film . Once the tree diagram becomes septic , there is little you’re able to do .
To apportion with these pests , spray the limb and trunk well with a permethrin pesticide in early spring , when the moth are active . If you notice boring activity , insert a recollective telegram into the hole to kill any borer nearby . Do worldwide pruning tasks in the wintertime when moth are n’t active , but promptly remove any branch infested with borers and burn them .
Want to learn more about growing dogwood trees?
Do n’t escape these helpful resources : Cornus Everglade State : blossom dogwoodfrom the Missouri Botanical GardenFlowering Dogwoodfrom North Carolina State University reference
turn Wisdom go over the basics of the dogwood treeon YouTube .