Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida 'Ozark Spring') is arguably the most beautiful of native American flowering trees, native from Maine to southern Ontario and Illinois south to Florida, Texas, and Mexico. This small deciduous tree grows 15 to 30 feet tall with a low-branching, broadly-pyramidal but somewhat flat-topped habit, hardy in zones 5-9. It blooms in April to May with showy flowers followed by showy fruit, and it's the state tree of both Missouri and Virginia. Deer leave it alone, and it draws butterflies and birds throughout the season.
Partial Sun
Moderate
5-9
360in H x 360in W
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High
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Early spring blooms in April and May arrive as showy flowers on a naturally graceful, low-branching form that needs no special pruning to look sculptural. Showy red fruit follows the flowers, creating a second season of ornamental interest. The tree handles full sun to partial shade and tolerates clay soil, black walnut, and deer pressure, making it resilient even in challenging yards. Plant in zones 5-9 and you'll have a tree that provides both visual drama and reliable wildlife habitat year after year.
Flowering Dogwood serves as a specimen flowering tree in residential landscapes and parks. Its showy spring blooms and subsequent ornamental fruit make it valuable in garden designs where seasonal interest and wildlife attraction are priorities. Its moderate size and graceful branching habit suit it to foundation plantings, woodland edges, and mixed shrub borders where it can be viewed from multiple angles.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Flowering Dogwood is difficult to transplant from the wild, so obtain nursery-grown stock. Plant in fall or early spring when the tree is dormant. Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and twice as wide, and backfill with amended soil that includes organic matter to create the acidic, well-drained condition the tree prefers.
Flowering Dogwood naturally develops a low-branching, broadly-pyramidal form with a somewhat flat-topped habit that requires minimal corrective pruning. Remove any dead, diseased, or crossing branches as needed to maintain the tree's graceful structure. Avoid heavy pruning, which stresses the tree and increases susceptibility to disease.
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“Flowering Dogwood is native across eastern North America, ranging from Maine and southern Ontario south through the Midwest and into Florida, Texas, and Mexico. Its deep cultural roots in the American landscape are reflected in its designation as the official state tree of both Missouri and Virginia, two states whose gardeners have long celebrated its arrival each spring. The 'Ozark Spring' cultivar represents the ongoing work of horticulturists to develop varieties suited to specific regional conditions and resistant to emerging stresses.”