Pink dogwood (Cornus florida rubra) is a traditional and popular Mother’s Day gift, thanks to the timing of its blooms that appear in early to mid-May. Just as “pretty in pink” as this native of southeastern North America are several alternatives that extend the bloom time into the month of June. Blooming several weeks than the ubiquitous Pink Flowering Dogwood are the Chinese Dogwoods (Cornus kousa chinensis) and their cultivars. While flowers of the species are typically white, three pink-blossomed cultivars are swoon-worthy gift options for Mom. Satomi, Heart Throb® and Scarlet Fire® Dogwoods are the best of the pinks. A variety of white cultivar choices are also thoughtful gifts for any occasion. (Consider Milky Way Select, Galilean®, Summer Fun). Pink, white or red in flower, Dogwoods deliver delight throughout the seasons. Green leaves of summer cast cool shade before turning to brilliant tones of red, pink, orange and purples in autumn. The Chinese dogwoods and their hybrids develop strawberry-like fruits in late summer that are highly ornamental. Bark on the trunks and branches of older trees exfoliates with age and provides winter interest in the garden. Some of the most successful pink cultivars are described below, along with two of our favorite white-blooming beauties.
Pink Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida rubra
This old-time favorite needs no introduction. Among the first of the dogwoods to flower, its deep pink bracts smother its branches in bright color, emerging before the leaves unfurl in spring. Height and spread of this widely planted cultivar are 20’ x 20’. Hardiness is USDA Zone 5.
Prairie Pink Dogwood
Cornus florida ‘Prairie Pink’
This unusually sturdy and adaptable selection of Cornus florida blooms at about the same time as Pink Flowering Dogwood but is better suited to the harsher growing conditions of the Midwest. It originated as a superior performer in the Wichita-based breeding and selection program at Kansas State University. Thick, dark green glossy leaves are more resistant to prairie heat and wind. Fall color is orange red to purple red in autumn. In The Tree Book, co-author Dr. Michael Dirr reports that Prairie Pink Dogwood has performed admirably in the Dirr family garden near Athens, Georgia.
Heart Throb® Dogwood
Cornus kousa ‘Schmred’
Mom’s heart will leap with joy when a bountiful crop of bright rose-pink blooms appears among the dark green leaves of this lovely selection of Chinese dogwood. Formed by bracts and reaching up to four inches in diameter, the flowers last as long as two months here in Oregon, where it was selected and introduced by the late Jim Schmidt of Don Schmidt Nursery. Attractive dark green foliage turns deep red in the fall, when red fruits of about 3/4” diameter also provide seasonal interest. Mature height and spread are approximately 20’ x 20’. Hardiness is USDA Zone 5.
Scarlet Fire® Dogwood
Cornus kousa ‘Rutpink’ PP 28311
Leaves emerge with a purple blush and mature to dark green. Dramatic fuchsia-pink blooms soon follow, floating atop the dark green foliage in late spring and lasting for several weeks. Each bloom is formed by pointed bracts that do not overlap, with each bloom resembling a four-pointed star. In fall, red fruits of approximately 1” diameter appear among the deep maroon autumn leaves. Bred in New Jersey by Dr. Tom Molnar of Rutgers University, who built upon decades of breeding and selection efforts of Dr. Ewin Orton, it develops and holds its pink color in the heat better than other pink-blooming Kousa Dogwoods. Beyond its extraordinary beauty, performance advantages of Scarlet Fire® Dogwood include resistance to dogwood anthracnose and powdery mildew. Flowering heavily at an early age, it grows at a moderate rate to approximately 20’ x 20’.
Satomi Dogwood
Cornus kousa ‘Satomi’
Rose pink blooms perch atop the branches of Satomi Dogwood in late spring. Strawberry-like fruits appear in late summer among the green leaves that turn varied shades of red to maroon in the fall. Its vibrant pink blooms can last for weeks in cooler climates such as the maritime Pacific Northwest, where it is named a Great Plant Pick.
Chinese Kousa Dogwood
Cornus kousa chinensis
Tough as well as beautiful, Chinese Kousa Dogwoods burst forth with clouds of white or pink blossoms that appear several weeks after blooms of the more commonly planted Florida dogwoods have faded. These late bloomers rarely suffer from the frost damage that may occur with earlier-flowering varieties. Blossoms last for several weeks during a time when relatively few garden plants are in bloom. Pointed, creamy-white bracts that surround the true, button-like flower clusters form the star-shaped “flowers”. (Although the blooms of seedling trees are white, many trees sport blooms that mature to shades of pink. Over the years, some very special pink-flowering trees have been selected and introduced.)
Bright reddish-orange fruits form in late summer and persist through autumn. They dangle like oversized strawberries beneath the horizontally arching branches. These attract the attention of birds as well as gardeners. Bright color that ranges from reddish purple to orange and scarlet sparkles in the autumn landscape. Winter reveals a very attractive mottled tan and gray exfoliating bark and a distinctive horizontal branching pattern.
Venus® Dogwood
Cornus (kousa×nuttallii) ×kousa ‘KN 30-8’
Named for the goddess of love, Venus® Dogwood welcomes late spring with white flowers that are downright voluptuous in number and size, with some exceeding six inches in diameter. Its deep green foliage it turns to bright tones of purple and red in autumn.
Nearly sterile, this remarkable hybrid developed at Rutgers University by Dr. Elwin Orton bears little to no fruit. A hybrid of our Pacific Northwest native dogwood (C. nuttallii) and Chinese Dogwood (C. kousa), it is anthracnose and mildew resistant. Form is upright and spreading as it reaches a mature height and spread of 25’x 20’. Hardy through USDA Zone 5b.
Starlight® Dogwood
Cornus kousa x nuttallii ‘KN-43’
Clean, dark green foliage unfurls to set the stage for large, firm, long-lasting creamy white flowers that appear in late spring. Mildew and anthracnose-resistant foliage blankets the branches of this upright oval tree throughout the summer months. A smattering of orange fruits of 3/4-inch diameter appears among the leaves in late summer and lasts into fall, when foliage turns to bright red orange. This adaptable hybrid of Pacific and Chinese dogwoods developed at Rutgers University by Dr. Elwin Orton grows to a height and spread of about 30’ x 20’.
Gardeners! Please note that our nursery is strictly wholesale. To purchase these and other trees grown by our nursery, please use our Retailer Locator to find sources of JFS trees near you.
