Flowering Dogwood

Year-round

Flowering dogwood is a small tree that wants well-drained, organically rich soil and cool roots.

• Plant in full sun to partial shade. In hot sites it may need more shade, especially in the afternoon.
• Use well-drained, organically rich soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH.
• Listed hardy in USDA zones 5a through 9b. It is a small tree 15 to 25 feet tall.
• It does not tolerate pollution and can be difficult to grow in urban settings.

Fall

Fall brings the color and a good time to check for leaf diseases.

• Fall color is red to reddish purple.
• Leaf spot, septoria leaf spot, and canker are listed diseases to watch for.
• Deer browse the foliage.

Winter

Winter is quiet, so plan for next year's disease resistance.

• Hardy in USDA zones 5a through 9b.
• If spot anthracnose has been a problem, 'Cherokee Princess' is noted as highly resistant and 'Plena' as immune when you replant.
• Deer browse the foliage, so check for damage.

Spring

Spring is mulch and scouting time.

• A 2 to 4 inch layer of mulch helps keep the roots cool and moist in hot summers.
• Spot anthracnose is more common than dogwood anthracnose, which occurs only at roughly 1,800 feet or higher.
• Powdery mildew is a listed susceptibility, so watch the leaves as they come out.

Summer

Keep roots cool and moist, and look for scale and borers.

• Mulch 2 to 4 inches deep to keep the roots cool and moist in hot summers.
• In hot spots, afternoon shade helps.
• Pests include dogwood borer, calico scale, oyster shell scale, and dogwood sawfly.

Year-round

Flowering dogwood is native to Ohio, where it naturally grows as a woodland understory tree along stream banks and shaded wood edges. In a Columbus yard it does best in part shade to full sun with moist, slightly acidic, well drained soil, similar to the conditions it grows in on its own. It is a four season plant, with spring bracts, red fall fruit and foliage, and a horizontal winter branching pattern, but Columbus's humid summers also bring real disease pressure from powdery mildew and anthracnose that this care plan accounts for.

• Plant in part shade to full sun with moist, slightly acidic, well drained soil, similar to its natural woodland edge habitat
• Keep a 2 to 3 inch mulch ring out to the drip line, pulled back a few inches from the trunk
• Water deeply during dry summer stretches, especially for the first two years after planting
• Prune and space for open airflow through the canopy to reduce powdery mildew and anthracnose
• Protect the thin bark near the trunk base from mower and trimmer damage

Fall

Fall is the dogwood's second show in Columbus, with burgundy red foliage and red fruit clusters that birds rely on heading into winter. It is also a solid planting and pruning window once the tree drops its leaves and goes dormant, generally after the first frost in mid October. If the tree showed powdery mildew or anthracnose spots over summer, cleaning up fallen leaves now helps since the fungus can overwinter in leaf litter.

• Rake and remove fallen leaves this fall if the tree showed mildew or anthracnose spots over summer
• Plant new trees at least four to six weeks before the ground freezes so roots can establish
• Prune dead or crossing branches once the tree is fully dormant in late fall
• Leave some fruit clusters in place for migrating and overwintering birds

Raking up fallen leaves keeps the yard tidy for fall curb appeal.

Winter

Columbus winters, generally USDA zone 6a, typically drop into the teens and 20s Fahrenheit and occasionally colder, which is enough to stress a young or newly planted dogwood. Dormancy makes this the best window for any structural pruning, since the tree is not actively growing and disease organisms are inactive. The bare horizontal branching also makes it easier to see and shape the tree without cutting off next spring's bloom buds.

• Do structural pruning once the coldest stretch of winter has passed, and avoid cutting on very cold days to reduce dieback
• Check mulch depth and refresh it before the ground freezes to protect the root zone
• Hold off on fertilizing until the tree is actively growing again in spring
• Inspect young trunks for frost cracks or sunscald, especially on the southwest side

Winter pruning shapes the tree while it is dormant, keeping it tidy without sacrificing next spring's bloom.

Spring

Spring is when Columbus area dogwoods put on their main show, with bracts opening from mid April into May. It is also the better of the two planting windows here, since a spring planted tree gets a full growing season to establish roots before its first Ohio winter. Watch the local last frost date, usually in the second half of April, before making any pruning cuts.

• Plant balled and burlapped or container trees once the soil can be worked in spring
• Water new transplants weekly through their first spring if rainfall is light
• Hold off on fertilizer until after bloom so you are not pushing soft growth into a late frost
• Check leaf undersides for early powdery mildew as humidity climbs later in spring

Summer

Columbus summers are hot and humid, and that combination is exactly what dogwood powdery mildew favors, with the fungus showing up regularly on Ohio trees in humid years. Keep the tree evenly watered through dry stretches rather than letting it swing between drought and soaking, since a drought stressed dogwood is more prone to problems like borers. This is also a season to leave the pruning shears alone.

• Water deeply about once a week during dry summer stretches, aimed at the root zone rather than the leaves
• Watch for a white powdery coating on leaves, common on dogwoods in humid Ohio summers
• Skip pruning until the tree is dormant in late fall or winter, summer cuts add stress during heat
• Keep mulch topped up to 2 to 3 inches to buffer soil moisture swings