If you’ve ever seen a stunning flowering dogwood tree, that alone may be enough to inspire you to plant one in your own yard. This long-cherished ornamental tree can truly stand out in your garden, and it comes in a wide range of colors to suit almost any palette. Read on to learn everything you need to know about dogwood trees so you can add this flowering ornamental species to your landscape and help it thrive for decades to come—including tips on planting and caring for dogwoods.
Where Do Dogwood Trees Grow?
Dogwood trees, known in Latin as Cornus florida, are native to the eastern half of the United States. Today, they can be found throughout the country, but they are still strongly associated with the American South, where they grow exceptionally well. You can find dogwoods on public land and in private gardens, and they are a popular addition to many landscape designs on university campuses—perhaps because they signal the welcoming arrival of spring after a long winter. In some parts of the country, you can even find dogwood trees growing wild in forests.
How Tall Do Dogwood Trees Usually Grow?
Dogwood trees typically reach heights of about 25 to 30 feet (7.6 to 9 meters), though those grown in home landscapes often reach only about 15 to 25 feet (4.5 to 7.6 meters). One reason so many people love dogwoods is that they never grow so large that they become difficult to care for or pose a risk to power lines or rooftops. When planted outside a window, a mature dogwood allows you to enjoy its flowers while avoiding an obstructed view of the trunk, and its canopy remains above the home’s roofline.
How Fast Do Dogwood Trees Grow?
With proper care, dogwood trees grow more than 12 inches (30 cm) per year. This is another reason why home gardeners appreciate them. If you plant a dogwood this year, you can expect to enjoy it as a mature tree in about a decade—a relatively short wait for such a beautiful addition to your garden.
How Do You Know Where to Plant a Dogwood Tree?
The easiest way to decide where to plant a dogwood is to mimic as closely as possible the environment where it naturally thrives. In the wild, dogwoods grow as understory trees. This means they grow beneath taller trees that provide partial shade. Try planting your dogwood at the edge of a grouping of trees to recreate this natural protection. Evergreens pair especially well with dogwoods and provide a lovely backdrop for the white or pink spring blooms and the purple foliage in autumn.
From this description, you can probably guess that dogwoods grow best in partial shade. While you can plant them in full sun or full shade, a spot in between is ideal. Too much shade will reduce blooming, while too much sun will limit growth. Hot, dry locations also cause heat stress and make dogwoods more vulnerable to dogwood borers. If you plant a dogwood in full sun, you’ll also need to water it more frequently.
What Are Some Tips for Planting Dogwood Trees?
1. Choose healthy trees.
Young dogwoods come in various forms at nurseries. Bare-root or burlap-wrapped trees should be planted in late fall or early spring, while potted dogwoods can be planted anytime as long as they can be watered after planting. In any case, look for trees with straight, sturdy trunks, no damage, and healthy leaves free of brown or yellow spots. Check the bottom of the pot to make sure the roots aren’t tightly bound—root tips should not be poking out in search of space.
2. Choose the right soil.
Dogwoods need loamy, well-draining soil, ideally slightly acidic. You can easily test your soil’s pH using a kit from a garden center or online. The soil should not be too sandy or too clay-heavy. Dogwoods planted in clay soil will eventually rot and die because the soil holds too much water. It’s important to note that dogwood roots grow at least 12 inches (30 cm) below the base of the tree and extend outward beyond the canopy. If you’re amending soil for planting, make sure to improve the entire area where the roots will expand as the tree matures. Read our Ultimate Guide for getting the best soil here.
3. Use proper planting techniques.
Plant your dogwood tree at a depth of about two-thirds of the root ball. Leave the top of the root ball exposed. Carefully fill the soil around the root ball, making sure the soil is loosened so it drains well around the roots.
4. Mulch your dogwood tree.
Many gardeners find mulching around the base of the tree very helpful. It helps prevent weeds, provides nutrients to the soil as the mulch breaks down, and helps retain moisture during warm, dry weather. Do not pile mulch directly against the trunk; leave a few inches of space around the base of the tree. You can create your own mulch using a chipper.
5. Water your dogwood tree regularly.
Your dogwood will always need regular watering when there is no rainfall, but it is especially vulnerable to drying out when newly planted. Be sure to water thoroughly after planting so the tree can establish roots, then continue watering as needed based on your climate and natural rainfall. In the absence of rain, the tree may need deep watering so moisture can reach the root zone at least 12 inches (30 cm) deep.
6. Prune properly.
Dogwood trees generally do not require much pruning. Most gardeners prune dogwoods only for aesthetic reasons, such as removing branches growing in the wrong direction. If you plant your dogwood far enough from structures, you won’t need to worry about pruning to keep it away from rooftops. Use a pruning saw, and step back to view the tree between cuts to avoid over-pruning.
7. Stake the tree if needed.
Some young dogwood trees need staking during their first one or two growing seasons. This may be necessary if you live in a windy area or if your tree is under 4 feet (1.2 m) tall when planted. Place wire just above the first layer of branches so the trunk is supported but the top of the tree can still sway in the wind, which helps strengthen it. Cover the wire with an old garden hose or similar material to prevent cutting into the bark.
8. Do not over-fertilize your dogwood.
Many gardeners over-fertilize dogwoods because they think the tree is not growing fast enough or want it to grow more quickly than normal. If your dogwood truly needs nutrients due to poor soil, you may use a general-purpose fertilizer, such as a 16-4-8 formula. You will need about 0.25 kg (roughly one cup) of fertilizer per inch of trunk diameter. Spread the fertilizer across the entire root zone and avoid placing it too close to the trunk.
9. Protect the tree from pests.
Dogwood borers are the most common pest you may encounter. Their larvae enter the tree through the bark and eat the wood from the inside out. Protect your tree from borers by ensuring the bark isn’t damaged by garden tools during yard maintenance or pruning.
10. Try growing dogwood trees from seed.
If you love dogwoods and want more, you can grow them from seed, though note that they almost always produce white dogwood trees, even if the seeds come from a pink-flowering tree. The “flowers” that bloom in spring are actually “bracts,” or colored leaves, with a true yellow flower in the center. When the bracts drop, the tree begins producing seeds that look like red berries and appear in fall. Once the seeds begin falling from the tree, they are mature enough to propagate new trees. Soak them in a bucket of water for about a week to soften the flesh, then squeeze to remove the seeds. Discard any seeds that float, and use the ones that sink. Nick each seed with a knife and plant them in the fall, keeping squirrels and other animals from digging them up.
Many people who start with a single dogwood tree find they can’t stop and end up planting several more. Follow the tips above, and you too may find your yard filled with these beautiful flowering trees!
You can find more information on tips and growing methods for other plants here.