The Best Flowering Dogwood Trees

The Dogwood, once known as ‘Dagwood’ was first made known in the mid-1500’s in Europe. Also found to have several other names being; corner, bunchberry, box-wood, arrow-wood, or white cornel. Over the generations it found its more common name as Dogwood.

Mainly cultivated in the mid-1700’s from an array of species, native to numerous countries around the world and introduced to the Americas in 1731. Over time becoming most popular over North America, it caught the eye of Thomas Jefferson, primary author of the Declaration of Independence and 3rd President of the United States of America.

Dogwood flowers close up.

Noted on March 31st 1774 in his garden diary entries, he recorded planting four Dogwood trees near his home in Monticello, Virginia. Due to this, the popularity of the species grew. With it’s harmonious mixture of beauty and strength, we find these four varieties, the best flowering Dogwood trees.

Greenvale & Satomi

Originating in Southland, the ‘Greenvale’ is a top pick to add for each and every surrounding. Known for standing up to our Southerly conditions while still looking pretty. Featuring creamy ovate flowers, it easily outperforms its rivals. As a true Southlander would say!

A hybrid of the ‘Kousa’ family originating in Asia, it may find its attributes in the ‘Satomi’ variety. Miss Satomi holds the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit, which is obvious in its stunning display of bronze-red to rich pink flowers. You can see why the well esteemed Japanese Nurseryman Mr Shibamichi, designated this one for his daughter, resembling beauty and strength.

CORNUS ‘Greenvale’ – Dogwood

The vigorous, upright form is a strong base for the softening effect of the cream flowers emerging in Spring. Large and plentiful, they’ll last well into Summer before finally fading, replaced by a strawberry like fruit. There is a splash of Autumn colour as the mint green leaves tackle on shades of orange and red. Well suited to areas with good drainage and direct sun.

  • Semi-evergreen, with good leaf form and cream flowers
  • Suitable for home gardens, ornamental and feature plantings
  • Can grow up to 3×2.5m

Photo: CORNUS Greenvale – Dogwood in 25L container, 2-2.5m height, 4 years old. Also available in 16L and 80L container.

CORNUS Greenvale – Dogwood in 25L container, 2-2.5m height, 4 years old. Also available in 16L and 80L container.
Cornus Greenvale Dogwood in Jack's Point, Queenstown, supplied by Easy Big Trees.

CORNUS kousa ‘Satomi’ – Pink Flowering Dogwood

A red flowering Dogwood named after the daughter of a Japanese nurseryman, there’s a wonderful mixture of beauty and strength about this plant. The flowers emerge in Spring as a bronze-red colour, before softening to a rich pink in Summer. In Autumn, the hardy Satomi puts up a fight, the large veined leaves burning red until they eventually fall.

  • Deciduous, with pink-red flower and strong red Autumn colour.
  • Suitable for ornamental and group planting
  • Can grow up to 3x2m

Photo: CORNUS kousa ‘Satomi’ – Pink Flowering Dogwood in 25L container, 2m height, 4 years old. Also available in 16L and 22L container.

CORNUS kousa ‘Satomi’ – Pink Flowering Dogwood in 25L container, 2m height, 4 years old. Also available in 16L and 22L container.
Satomi and Southern Cross Dogwood varieties at Trotts Gardens, Ashburton.
Southern Cross & Wedding Cake

Another ‘Kousa’ variety, the ‘Southern Cross’ with its delicate red tips and showy clusters of creamy white flowers, shows to be a charismatic form for the tree lover in all of us and a great choice to attract birds to your yard. On that note of attraction to your yard, you can not go wrong with the ‘Wedding Cake Tree’. Providing an ornamental variegated foliage display, this striking beauty is a real feature plant and also a winner of the Award of Garden Merit.

CORNUS kousa ‘Southern Cross’ – Japanese Dogwood in 25L container, 1.5m height, 4 years old. Also available in 30/35L container.

CORNUS kousa ‘Southern Cross’ – Japanese Dogwood

It’s the shape and structure of the ovate leaves. The four slightly overlapping leaves appear perfectly arranged, as if choreographed by nature into a petal-like arrangement. Red creeps in from the tips as the cooler months arrive, also heralding the end to the flower bracts of creamy white. This strawberry-like fruit attracts birds.

  • Deciduous, with red shade foliage in Autumn
  • Suitable for home gardens, mixed and featured plantings
  • Can grow up to 2.5×1.5m

Photo: CORNUS kousa ‘Southern Cross’ – Japanese Dogwood in 25L container, 1.5m height, 4 years old. Also available in 30/35L container.

CORNUS controversa ‘Variegata’ – Wedding Cake Tree

Beautifully tiered branches with strikingly variegated foliage are a landscape feature. The new foliage is soft green edged with cream accented by the reddish tinge of the new branches. Taller growing trees, they are always a focal point. Shelter from high winds required, but are generally easy to grow in average to good soils.

  • Deciduous, tiered branching and little white flowers in late Spring/Summer
  • Suitable for home gardens and feature planting
  • Can grow up to 3x2m

Photo: CORNUS controversa ‘Variegata’ – Wedding Cake Tree in 35L container, 1.5m height, 5 years old. Also available in 80L container.

CORNUS controversa ‘Variegata’ – Wedding Cake Tree in 35L container, 1.5m height, 5 years old. Also available in 80L container.
Wedding Cake Dogwoods at Larnach Castle, Dunedin.

There really is a Dogwood tree variety for every landscape design out there… and we are not barking up the wrong tree with that one!

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Testimonial from Rena, Easy Big Trees client from Christchurch.
Harry's Tree Care Tips: Spring is the ideal time to fertilise.
Harry's Tree Care Tips: Spring planting. It's a great time for planting as warmth is creeping into the soil and those Spring showers make sure there's enough moisture for establishment.
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