| Native to the Southern region of the United | | | | season with red, pink or white blooms. This spring |
| States, the flowering dogwood tree evokes a | | | | display lasts for 3 to 4 weeks on average, which |
| subtle sense of charm and grace. | | | | is longer than most other flowering trees. In the |
| The inspirational beauty of these trees is often | | | | summer, the dogwood's vibrant green foliage |
| seen in high art, especially in works from the | | | | reigns until the fall when it turns scarlet red. The |
| impressionist period. This culture of artists | | | | winter season offers interesting flaky bark and |
| celebrated the use of light and color, and its easy | | | | small red berries. The bright fruit of this fast |
| to see why flowering dogwood trees were ideal | | | | growing tree is a source of food for many |
| subjects. As a more modern sign of appreciation, | | | | different wildlife species. The red berries attract |
| North Carolina, Missouri and Virginia adopted the | | | | dozens of types of birds, small mammals and |
| flowering dogwood as their state tree. Atlanta | | | | deer, as as well as butterflies. |
| also calls itself "The Dogwood City," even though | | | | The dogwood tree is ideal for planting and |
| Georgia curiously has a different state tree. | | | | growing in a small garden. It can also be used for |
| Atlanta also holds the "Atlanta Dogwood | | | | large parks as big landscape trees. These trees |
| Festival" every April since 1936 that | | | | are often grown as understory trees and grow |
| celebrates the tree and its brilliant display of spring | | | | to an average of 15 to 30 feet tall. The dogwood |
| flowers. | | | | has the unusual quality of growing well when |
| Most people think of the dogwood as being a | | | | planted beneath other trees, but it will still thrive if |
| classic white flowering tree, but advances in | | | | planted to stand out on its own. The red, pink and |
| horticulture have made the red and pink | | | | white flowering dogwood cultivars are highly |
| dogwoods readily available. Flowering dogwood | | | | tolerant of dry and cold weather and are well |
| trees can be propagated by growing from the | | | | adapted to stress. |
| seed or by planting a root cutting, but newer | | | | The white flowering dogwood is more widely |
| nurseries such as Fast Growing Trees Nursery | | | | recognized, but the pink dogwood is a unique |
| carry dogwood cultivars are grown from grafted | | | | decorative tree. It has large pink flowers that |
| trees. This process ensures the trees are healthy | | | | appear in the early spring before the foliage |
| and grow more quickly. | | | | arrives. The most interesting quality of the pink |
| Red, pink and white dogwood cultivars are ideal | | | | flowering dogwood is that the flowers change a |
| because they are more disease resistant than wild | | | | deeper shade of pink every year. The leaves turn |
| dogwoods. Travis Zboch, Manager of Fast | | | | a brilliant red in the fall, and they are followed by |
| Growing Trees Nursery, says the grafting process | | | | the red berries. |
| is better because it ensures the vibrant colors. | | | | Flowering dogwoods are adaptable to most |
| "Planting dogwoods from seeds will almost always | | | | climates and conditions throughout the United |
| result in white flowers, even if the seeds were | | | | States, with growing zones ranging from |
| from a red or pink parent," he said. "With grafted | | | | Massachusetts to Florida. "Dogwoods used to be |
| trees, you get a unique tree with color that will | | | | thought of as a Southern tree," Zboch said. "But |
| last." | | | | now these new and improved dogwoods can be |
| The flowering dogwood kicks off the spring | | | | taken further north than ever before. |