dogwoods
With all the driving around I’ve been doing lately, the dogwoods have especially captured my attention.
The pink ones seem to be the first to put in an appearance. While these would not be the chosen ones for my own yard, they do add sparkle to roadsides.
Here’s a closeup of those pink blossoms.
One property that I visited had this tree sporting both pink and white blossoms.
Upon closer inspection, I could see that the white-flowering branches were sprouting from below the graph.
This was probably my favorite of the early blooming dogwoods. I love the simplicity and purity of the bract/blossoms.
When we were shopping for a dogwood, we were warned away from the native Cornus florida because of its susceptibility to dogwood anthracnose. Indeed, the whips of dogwoods that came from the Arbor Day Society would seem to bear out that theory. The Kousas grew to adulthood and the Floridas konked out. On the other hand, this fine specimen stands in a field near our house. What to make of it?
The Kousas have a charm of their own, pointy little things that they are. Maybe if they were the temperamental ones, they would be my favorites…isn’t that kind of how it works? Here’s a site with info on all the many kinds of dogwoods. I still hanker after the red twig variety for winter interest, and am coaxing a few Cornus canadensis to act as ground cover in the woodland. Oh, and then there is that layer cake variegated beauty that would surely feel at home somewhere around here. We gardeners are so lucky…we never run low on things to wish for.
June 10th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
I planted a kousa a couple of years ago as a memorial tree for my mum, still waiting for it to flower. I prefer the florida as well, but they are not hardy for me.
June 10th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
Deborah~We have one “in memorium” also…such a fine tribute to those we continue to miss.
June 10th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
They are all lovely, but I love the cornus nuttalii best (our own native dogwood). It is said to be easily susceptible to disease and damage as well, so we planted Cornus “Eddie’s White Wonder”, a cross between the native and the florida strains. It was gorgeous this past April!
June 11th, 2010 at 6:38 am
Nice photos. I’ve noticed the white C. kousas blooming too. At first I thought they were Davidias.
June 12th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Didn’t realize that the kousa group has such an extended family of trees, nor that they grafted them. I wonder why they are not more prevalent in the UK. I only know of two specimens, both in the RHS garden in Wisley.
The ordinary Cornus grows so easily. And the variegated and red-stemmed ones do their own thing in our garden. I never know where they are going to potp up but love the lightness of their leaves. Just ask for a branch when you see one and stick it in somewhere.
Nice bright picture of the pointy one
June 13th, 2010 at 3:34 am
I also love dogwoods. There are so many interesting things going on on each flower - like in your second photo of the pink dogwood.
June 13th, 2010 at 9:23 pm
All kinds of lovely dogwoods have been catching my eye this year. My mom’s house of 25 years had a mature specimen when she moved in, a pink one, and it’s still going strong. At this age, it is now fills their view out of the master bedroom window, and I have to say, it’s a pretty spectacular sight.
June 14th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
All~Like so many things, the deeper we delve, the more there is to know. A dogwood is a dogwood is a dogwood? I think not.
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