woodland shrub

Flowering dogwood

Cornus florida

Also known as Virginia Dogwood, Florida Dogwood, White Cornel, Arrowwood, American Boxwood, False Box, St. Peter's Crown, Corona De San Pedro

Native to much of the USA and southern Canada

Florida to eastern Texas, north to southern Maine, Ontario, southern Illinois, extreme southeastern Kansas and Oklahoma, range resumes in eastern Mexico from Coahuila south to Veracruz

Light Part shade to shade Sun tolerance
Moisture Dry to moist Moisture preference
Zones 5–9 Cold to heat range
Bloom Mar–May Flowering time
Height up to 65 ft to 19.8 m
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

Full details, see below

In the garden

A woodland shrub for part to full shade and dry to moist soil. Its white flowers peak in April. At up to 65 ft, it needs room in shade gardens and woodland edges. Hardy in USDA zones 5–9.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

When it blooms

The Flowering dogwood's white flowers bloom March to May, peaking in April. This spring display draws bees and flower flies.

Flowering dogwood blooms white, pink, yellow & greenFoliage

Pollinators & wildlife

Bees Pure Green Sweat bee

also Western Honey Bee, Agapostemon texanus, Golden Sweat Bee +16 more
Confusing Furrow Bee, Carlin's Mining Bee, Rufous-backed Cellophane Bee, Silky Striped Sweat Bee, Bristle Sweat Bee, Allegheny Mining Bee, Nude Mining Bee, Imitator Miner Bee, Experienced Sweat Bee, Osmia pumila, Fox's Sweat Bee, Illinois Cuckoo Nomad Bee, Obscure Sweat Bee, Rugose Mining Bee, Andrena miserabilis, Zephyr Sweat Bee
Flower flies Margined Calligrapher

also Eurasian Drone Fly, Greater Bee Fly, Oblique-banded Pond Fly +7 more
Band-winged Bee Fly, Long-horned Yellowjacket Fly, Painted Wood Fly, Hairy Wood Fly, Sphaerophoria cylindricus, White-haired Pithead, Bombylius pulchellus
Beetles Twenty-spotted Lady Beetle

also Acmaeodera tubulus, Bruchus bivulneratus, Bimaculate Longhorn Beetle +1 more
Chlorophorus glaucus
Also visited by
- Butterflies:
  
  Silver-spotted Skipper, Umber Skipper +1 more
  Incisalia niphon

Butterflies that use this plant

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Full plant details

Where it grows

Habitat: WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (32): AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WV. Canada (1): ON. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Florida to eastern Texas, north to southern Maine, Ontario, southern Illinois, extreme southeastern Kansas and Oklahoma, range resumes in eastern Mexico from Coahuila south to VeracruzThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Part shade to shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: Dry to moistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 5–9 · Canadian 6–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Rich, well-drained, acid soil. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Acid-basedThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil texture: Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
Soil pH: 4.8–7.7The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Soil quality: MediumHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
Water use: LowHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
Salinity tolerance: NoneHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: LowHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.

Growth & form

Height: up to 65 ft (to 19.8 m)Typical mature height.
Spread: ~26 ft (8 m)How wide one plant gets, a guide to spacing.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Growth rate: ModerateA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
Shape: ErectIts overall silhouette.
Root depth: 18+ in (46+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: ShrubWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: Mar–MayWhen it flowers.
Flower color: White, Pink, Yellow, GreenThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: ripens Aug–OctThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
Toxicity: None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.

Propagation & seed

Cold stratification: Required (cold, moist)Whether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
Propagation: Bare root, container, cuttings, seedHow to start new plants.
Seed: ~0.0 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
Seed spread rate: SlowHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
Seedling vigor: MediumHow strongly young seedlings establish.
Vegetative spread: NoneWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.