Flowering dogwood trees for 2008
This year we are offering a selection of high quality landscaping sized dogwood trees. Primarily we have the two most popular types of flowering dogwoods, the Cornus florida and the Cornus kousa .
Cornus florida is commonly known as the eastern dogwood or flowering dogwood.
Cornus kousa is known as the kousa or Korean dogwood, there are variants such as cornus kousa chinensis, sometimes called the Chinese dogwood. Kousa’s are becoming more popular because they tend to resist certain diseases such as spot anthracnose, bloom later and have year round interest.
Here are some of the varieties that we have. Descriptions are from Manual of Woody Landscape Plants by Michael A. Dirr .
Cornus florida
‘Cherokee Brave’ ---Vigorous grower, reddish pink (burgundy) flowers with a white center, introduced by the late Hubert Nicholson, Commercial Nursery, Decherd, TN, resistant to mildew.
(We believe 'Cherokee Brave' is the best pink florida dogwood for this region)
‘Cherokee Chief’---Flowers rich ruby-red and new growth reddish; one of the most popular red-bracted forms, introduced by Ike Hawkersmith, Winchester, TN.
'Royal Red'---New foliage opens blood red, turns red in fall; flowers are deep red and very large, a splendid tree at the Arnold Arboretum was misidentified by this author as 'Cherokee Chief' until I checked the label, the color was terrific, on May 3, 1991 it was in full flower and was still strikingly effective on May 13, from Winchester, TN area.
var. RUBRA ('Rubra')---Pink to pinkish red flowers, considerable variation in color; the history of this variety is not clear but it was apparently first discovered in Virginia; it is a beautiful plant when properly grown; moderately susceptible to spot anthracnose, resistant to canker.
'Cloud 9'---Slow-growing with showy white overlapping bracts, profusely flowering when young, spreading habit, considered one of the best and Pair rated it one of the most cold hardy, this has been a solid performer in the Southeast, susceptible to spot anthracnose, resistant to canker, Chase Nursery, Chase, AL.
Cornus kousa
var. CHINENSIS---According to Wyman and Bean there is not much botanical difference between this form and the species, however, under cultivation the variety grows more freely and the flowers are larger than those of any form; it can grow to 30'; the bracts range from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2" long, 3/4 to 1" wide; the fruits as described by E.H. Wilson are sweet and edible; I have sampled the fruits of this variety and the species and can honestly say I prefer Snicker's Bars; the bracts start off a soft green and gradually change to white; certainly one of the most beautiful of all flowering trees; arguably a confused entity and for some clarification please see 'Milky Way'; introduced by E.H. Wilson from Hupeh, China in 1907.
'Autumn Rose'---Bracts open light green, maturing to soft white, yellow to lime green foliage in spring, light green wavy leaves in summer, fall foliage a metamorphosis of many shades of pink to light red, small upright tree, discovered by Glenda Schmoyer, sister of Gary and Mark Handy.
'Radiant Rose'---Pink bracts; stems and leaves develop interesting red coloration; in autumn leaves turn rich red; to 25'; may be the same as 'Satomi'.
<>'Satomi'---Listed more times in nursery catalogs than any cultivar outside of 'Milky Way'; in England it was a respectable rose pink, however, has not been as vibrant in the United States; various nurseries listed the bract color as red, rich pink, pink to red, carmine red, "red," deep pink, bright rose red, either they are all correct by virtue of growing the plant in different geographical areas and varying cultural conditions or nobody has seen it flower and decided to pick a color; same as 'Rosabella'.
'Milky Way'---Cultivar of var. CHINENSIS with very floriferous habit; I have witnessed this specimen at Mill Creek Valley Park, Youngstown, OH, and was amazed at the flower and fruit production compared to the species, this was a very broad, bushy form suitable for the small landscape; this may be a commercially manufactured name for the variety; nevertheless it appears more floriferous than the species and for that reason deserves to be mentioned. <>
'Wolf Eyes'---Prominent white-margined leaves on a compact spreading plant, less susceptible to burning than most variegated dogwoods, outstanding pink to red fall color, slower growing, more shrubby, parent plant 6' high and 6' wide, does best in partial shade, have seen this at Manor View Farm, the introducer, Monkton, MD, and was impressed by the quality and apparent stability of the variegation; originated as a branch sport at Manor View Farm, Monkton, MD.
Also available are select varieties of our native Pacific dogwood such as:
'Colrigo Giant' aka 'Corrigo Giant', a selected Cornus nuttalli from the Columbia river gorge that boast huge bracts (flowers).
We also have a hybrid that is large flowering white that is called
'Eddies White Wonder' . It is a hybrid of the eastern dogwood and our native nuttallii.
