Dogwood, Pretty, Hardy, Variety

By Jos Van Hage

An attractive shrub that does well in our area is the Dogwood (Cornus). It  is popular among many landscapes because it is easy to care for and has a  good resistance to pests and disease. It also adds year round interest to  the landscape.

In the spring the dogwood flowers come into bloom, which are later followed by summer berries, and colorful foliage. Foliage colors  vary depending on the variety, with some varieties having variegated cream and green leaves while others are all green. In the winter the leaves fall  off revealing colorful stems of various shades of yellow and red depending on the variety.

Two colorful varieties of dogwood are the 'Silver Variegated Dogwood', and  the 'Golden Variegated Dogwood'. Both of these have variegated foliage. The silver variegated dogwood has leaves that are cream and green and the golden variegated  dogwood has leaves that have a little red, yellow and green in them. They both grow 7 feet high and 7 feet wide. Another version of the Silver Variegated Dogwood is the Variegated Siberian Dogwood which  has a good reddish fall color and the Siberian Dogwood which is not  variegated but has soft deeply veined green leaf.

A native dogwood is the Red Osier Dogwood which grows up to 10 feet high and wide and has green foliage with white flowers and red winter twigs.
Plant dogwoods in full sun to partial shade. They do best in a rich moist,  well drained soil as they do not like to dry out. If moisture and heat is  a problem use a mulch to keep the roots cool and keep the moisture in the soil. Dogwoods are easy to care for, only needing a pruning in the early spring before they leave out.

Prune out 25-30 % of the oldest stems from ground level. You can tell the oldest stems as these will be the least brightest  in color. By removing the oldest stems you are making room for the new stems that will be bright in color which is what makes the plant so attractive in the winter months.  You also want to prune the shrub into shape in the spring so that it has a uniform shape and will fill out.

-Jos

Jos VanHage owns and operates two Art Knapp Garden Centres in the Prince George area:

• Highway16 West at Kimball Road
• Highway 97 North at Northwood Pulpmill Road

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