Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Family Cornaceae
Each spring the eastern woodland edge lights up in white tiers, and that light is flowering dogwood — branches held flat as wedding-cake layers, every one covered in bloom. Come September the same tree hangs scarlet with berries and the birds arrive on schedule.
This is a fifteen-to-thirty-foot understory native, and it thrives when you treat it that way: morning sun, high afternoon shade, woodsy ground. Sited like a forest edge it can outlive its planter; the berries stay strictly bird food. Give the patio's east side a queen.
MORNING sun / afternoon shade — a forest-edge tree
Moderate water
Slow growth
Native to North America
From the print shop
Growing flowering dogwood? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries flowering dogwood — Cornus florida, print Nº 186, “Flowering Dogwood.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what flowering dogwood actually needs.
Hardy inZones 5-9Flowering Dogwood · Common problems
Common flowering dogwood problems
Pests
3 problems on file
- Dogwood Borer (enters mower wounds — mulch ring is armor)
- Periodical Cicada
- Flatheaded Appletree Borer
Diseases
5 problems on file
- ANTHRACNOSE (killed wild ones in the East — plant resistant cultivars/hybrids)
- Powdery Mildew
- Septoria Leaf Spot
- Botryosphaeria Canker
- Transplant Shock
Flowering Dogwood · Growing & propagation
Growing flowering dogwood
- Light
- MORNING sun / afternoon shade
A forest-edge tree, not a lawn island
- Water
- Moderate
Shallow roots want permanent mulch
Soil- Acid, humusy, drained · pH 5.5 - 6.5
Fertilizer- None
Mulch is the feeding program
Pruning- After flowering
Minimal — its tiered habit is the point; never top.
Spacing- 20 ft
How to plant & propagate flowering dogwood
- Propagate
- Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering
Flowering Dogwood · Seasonal care & spray guidance
The flowering dogwood growing playbook
When to spray flowering dogwood
Growing season. Site with morning sun + airflow; resistant cultivars have largely solved it.
Flowering Dogwood · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Flowering Dogwood · Yearly calendar
The flowering dogwood year, month by month
Jan
No calendar activity is listed for this month.
Bloom
HarvestBloomApril to May
HarvestSeptember
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
- Harvest — picking time — check ripeness every few days.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Flowering Dogwood · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Cornus florida
Flowering Dogwood in the garden system
- Understory layer tree
- Hosts Spring azure butterfly; berries for birds
Attracts- Birds
Habitat- Woodland
- Moisture
- Facultative / average
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
- Origin
- Native to North America
What flowering dogwood is grown for
✓ Commonly eaten
- Use
- Spring bracts
- Use
- Bird fuel
- Use
- Woodland edges
Harvesting & storing flowering dogwood
Scarlet berries September (birds only).
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Flowering Dogwood · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a flowering dogwood variety
'Appalachian Spring' (anthracnose-resistant); 'Cherokee Brave' (pink, mildew-resistant); Rutgers hybrids ('Stellar Pink' — bulletproof)
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
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Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Cornus florida
- Plant family
- Cornaceae
- Growth habit
- Tree · Perennial
- Origin
- Native to North America
- USDA plant symbol
- COFL2
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
for Flowering Dogwood
Research from these sources
Publisher marks identify sources, not sponsorship or endorsement.
Questions
Flowering Dogwood questions, answered straight.
Is flowering dogwood safe for kids and pets?
Flowering Dogwood is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
When do you harvest flowering dogwood?
Scarlet berries September (birds only).
How do you propagate flowering dogwood?
Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering.
Elsewhere
Where flowering dogwood sits in the library.
Eastern Redbud
Crape Myrtle
Maple
Flowering Cherry