Dazzling Dogwoods

Beloved Southern trees are springtime showstoppers

One of the most beloved spring-blooming trees is our native dogwood with beautiful four-petaled white bracts (flowers) that appear before the foliage does. This lovely understory tree performs best in morning sun or dappled sunlight. Beyond the classic Southern dogwood, gardeners can choose from a variety of hardy hybrids, native alternatives and other well-adapted nonnative species.

Photo	Characteristics	Care
Alternate-leaf dogwood	Native tree up to 20 feet tall. Fragrant clusters of small white flowers appear May-July, followed by a bluish-black fruit. The leaves are attached alternately (most dogwoods have opposite leaf attachment) on the stems, with branches that form tiers.	Will tolerate more sun in cooler zones than most dogwoods, but in most of Arkansas, would benefit from protection from hot afternoon sun. Likes moist, well-amended soil.
Rough-leaf dogwood	Native small tree or large bush, growing up to 16 by 16 feet. Clusters of creamy white flowers appear after the foliage is on, in May or June. Produces a white berry. The upper leaf surface is rough to the touch.	A more adaptable dogwood. Will grow in full sun to partial shade and will survive in poorer soils than most dogwoods. It can produce suckers; remove those as you find them.
Flowering dogwood	Native, most commonly in white, but there are pink and red varieties, too. Many improved cultivars with double blooms, variegated foliage and hybrids with other species. All species have red berries in the fall that birds adore.	Does best in well-amended soil with excellent drainage, but ample moisture. Needs bright sunlight in the morning to bloom, but protection from afternoon sun is important for long-term success.
Kousa dogwood	Nonnative showy tree with star-shaped blooms that appear after the foliage is on in late spring. Grows up to 30 feet tall. Large, showy pinkish-red edible rounded drupes ripen in late summer into early fall.	Tougher tree than our native species, but since the flowers appear after the foliage, it’s not as showy. Will handle more sunlight and tolerate drought better. It is more disease-resistant. Still would perform best with ample moisture.
Cornelian cherry dogwood	Nonnative small tree up to 25 feet tall and 15-20 feet wide. Early bloomer, covered in small clusters of yellow flowers before the foliage appears. Small, edible, cherry-like fruits start to turn red mid-summer and are ready to eat when they turn dark red.	Thrives in partial to heavy shade, in a well-drained but moist site. Has nice exfoliating bark as it ages. Give it room to spread. Can have nice fall foliage, too.
Red-twigged dogwood	Native species grown as a multistemmed shrub with bright red stems that are showy in the winter. Can grow 6-9 feet tall, but best if a third of the stems are thinned annually, since new growth is redder. Clusters of small white flowers appear in early summer followed by white berries.	Will tolerate more sun than most, but in hot summers, it would still prefer some afternoon shade. Likes consistently moist soil and can tolerate wet areas well.