85 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy ~ Rt. 3A ~ Scituate,
MA 02066 ~
781-545-1266
|
85 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy ~ Rt. 3A ~ Scituate,
MA 02066 ~
781-545-1266 |
|
Dogwood
Trees
Most agree the most spectacular flower display is owned by the Spring
Flowering Dogwood. Cornus florida is known for its brilliant show of white or pink
flowers in the early spring before their leaves emerge.
This dogwood species is also valued for its layered branching habit,
interesting red fruit, and nice fall color.
Unfortunately, this species of dogwood is susceptible to a disease called
Anthracnose. See our handount for
more info on controlling Anthracnose. This
disease killed off a large percentage of dogwoods in the 80’s and 90’s.
While Kennedy’s still sells a few of these trees, we recommend choosing
varieties that are resistant to the disease.
The Chinese dogwood (Cornus kousa) is a later flowering form of dogwood.
This Dogwood flowers for a long time beginning in late May and often
lasts into July. These flowers are
a creamy white and they arrive shortly after the leaves emerge.
Recently some pink varieties of Cornus kousa have been introduced to the
market. All varieties of Chinese
Dogwood are resistant to Anthracnose and are valued for their fall color, fruit
and interesting bark as the plants age.
The third major group of dogwoods are the Rutgers
hybrids. Due to the Anthracnose
disease, researchers at Rutgers University began hybridizing the Spring
Flowering Dogwoods with the Chinese Dogwood.
The result is several newer varieties of dogwoods that have many of the
good traits of each type of tree. The
Rutgers Hybrids were bred with the Chinese Dogwood and therefore are resistant
to the disease. They also have some
of the characteristics of the Florida dogwoods because they flower earlier (just
after Cornus florida and just before Cornus kousa) and they have a more layered
branching habit than Cornus kousa. See
our chart on the reverse for comparisons on the different types of dogwoods.
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