Flowering tree season is quickly approaching and we have already been graced with the beauty of the Magnolias. Quick on their heels are the Pacific Dogwoods (Cornus nuttallii). It happens to be one of my favorite trees, but not one that I would elect to plant in my own garden. There is something so majestic about at 50′ flowering tree, but the thought of it getting anthracnose would break my heart.
There are so many other people out there that are in love with the Dogwood. I would have to say that in all of my years working in retail nurseries the “pink flowering dogwood” is the best seller.
Some time around the end of March customers would start coming in asking for this very specific tree. The actual name is Cornus florida and more specifically they were looking for Cherokee Brave, Cherokee Chief or Cherokee Sunset. Those were the most common in the nurseries.
The flowering Dogwood is a lovely tree. It grows to about 25 feet tall, flowers in late April to early May, fairly easy to care for and has vibrant fall foliage. It is, for all intents and purposes, the perfect tree… on the surface. However, like it’s northwest native cousin Cornus florida is susceptible to anthracnose. An awful canker that kills the trees.
Despite this death sentence we still sold out of the trees. The nursery owners (and later me as a buyer) would bring in 40-50 dogwoods and sell out of them in a matter of days. They sold for $40+. Today they sell for much more and nurseries still sell out. Like a fuchsia basket everyone wants to buy one for mom. On Mother’s Day weekend I would take no less than 20 calls from people, “do you have any pink dogwoods?” They were all met with the same response, “sorry, we sold out in April.”
Luckily, I was able to convince a few people (ok, maybe more than a few) that Cornus florida wasn’t the tree for them. I had a better solution. Don’t be like Dick and Jane next door. Be an individual and buy a dogwood that would stun your neighbors. Cornus kousa was a much better choice.
Like Cornus florida, Cornus kousa comes in a pink flowering variety. The difference is that it blooms after it has leafed out in late May to early June. When most trees are now big and green the Korean Dogwood (also known as Japanese Dogwood) puts on a show and is center stage. What’s more, the Korean Dogwood is disease resistant. The other features that make Cornus kousa the better choice is that it has a more upright habit rather than the sprawl of the florida and it produces large red fruit that are edible (and quite sweet and tasty).
Some people have their heart set on the old fashioned Cornus florida. I applaud you for your stick-to-it-ness. However, next time you are digging out a dead dogwood consider and Cornus Kousa. You’ll thank me for it.
This is a gardening site isn’t it? I probably should tell you about a few plants other than tomatoes. Part of the point of this site was to inform readers about some of the not so common, yet easy to find landscape plants available in your local nursery. I intended on starting with my all time favorite tree, but lighting conditions were such that photographing it didn’t work out quite right. Instead, I’m going to tell you about my husband’s favorite tree.
The idea is to create a little bit of an information sheet that you could print out and add to a collection of “cool plants I’d like to have.”
Variegated Box Elder or Acer negundo ‘Flamingo’
Height: 20′
Spread: 15′
Hardiness: USDA zone 3 – 9
Habit: rounded pyramidal and often irregular. Somewhat of a scraggly appearance. Not your full and bushy tree
Texture: coarse in winter, medium in leaf
Culture: adapts well to many conditions, full sun, wet, dry or poor soils. Often short lived
Pests: few noted
The Flamingo cultivar of the Box Elder is an interesting form of a rather uninteresting Maple. Leaves are complex and a beautiful spring green edged in creamy white. New shoots are a brilliant pink aging to green. Color is best in cooler weather. Cut back in late winter to encourage extension growth which is often more pink and cream.
This is an interesting plant for the landscape. It is not as common as some of the other Maples, but has it’s place in the landscape. Neighbors often ask us what that tree is and are stunned to hear it is a type of Maple. Be careful because often times branches will revert to the non-cultivar variety and are not as attractive. Prune out reverted sprouts.
We have had this tree in our garden since we moved into our house. It has doubled in height in 5 years, standing 15′ high now. As it matures it will grow slower and fill out somewhat. The Variegated Box Elder is a lovely little tree that deserves more attention.
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