October 28, 2009

A TREE FOR SPRING AND FALL BEAUTY

Cornus Florida 'cherokee princess '



This beautiful American dogwood is in my neighborhood and I enjoy its beauty both in the Spring when it's covered with large pink blossoms and in its October red dress pictured above.

If memory serves I believe that Tennessee has been dubbed the Dogwood State . Actually the dogwood grows in abundance throughout the South and is a favorite tree for many.

When I first planted my garden in Chicago I chose two trees - the dogwood and a regular magnolia. The magnolia didn't survive the first winter but the dogwood did. Every Spring when it was time for it to bloom a hard freeze nipped it in the bud. It finally succumbed to disease.

Working in the tree department at our local garden center I learned that the American dogwood, had been improved to be more disease resistant and hardier for the Chicago winters.

The Asian dogwood varieties bloom later than our American ones and while not as showy, this can be a big plus for the late freezes that tend to affect the Spring blooming trees.


5 comments:

  1. Dogwood is such a beautiful tree. Great choice for a post.

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  2. that is a gorgeous color. so rich. dogwoods have always been one of my favorites.

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  3. That's a beauty Carolyn! There are so many dogwood varieties it boggles the mind. There's so much to recommend them - some have beautiful blooms, some have beautiful fall foliage, some have beautiful red branches in winter, some have fruit for wildlife. Cherokee Princess' fall color is gorgeous, and it looks like it's a perfectly-sized tree for an urban setting.

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  4. That's a nice color and it isn't as garish as some of the other reds.

    I'd plant this if I had the space.

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  5. It's a beautiful tree. I wonder why mine doesn't bloom. Perhaps, it is in too much shade. We need quite a bit of shade for them here because of the extreme heat.~~Dee

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