White Flowering Dogwood

White or Eastern flowering dogwood is one of the showiest small trees and grows between 6 and 7.5 m tall. It can be grown as a shrub or tree.

Four huge white bracts develop around small flowers and give the impression that the tree has 10 cm big flowers which makes it so elegant.

The leaves turn scartlet, red and pink in the fall.

Ecology:

Native sweat and mining bees as well as the introduced honey bee visit dogwoods for pollen and nectar.  Some mining bees are dogwood pollen specialist bees and their larvae can only feed on dogwood pollen. 

It is the host plant for spring azure butterfly and cecropia silkmoth caterpillars.

The bright red berries are drupes and are a nutritious food source for song birds, small mammals and even foxes as they are very high in fat and calcium. 

 

Growing conditions:

Should be grown in a sheltered location from excess cold and heat, best in morning sun with dappled shade throughout the rest of the day. Can tolerate full sun if the roots are shaded and stay cool and moist in summer. Requires good organic matter, prefers slightly acidic, well drained soil.

Can be grown 2 to 4 m apart for bigger impact. 

Since their root system is shallow, it is best to grow woodland plant underneath, so that the soil is not constantly compacted and disturbed by mowing.

Native to southern Ontario.