Dogwoods can be both beautiful shrubs or small flowering trees in your garden. There are around 60 species of Cornus with some grown for foliage like Cornus. kousa ‘Gold Star’. Others are grown for their winter stems or for attractive early summer blooms, many of these cascade down the elegant branches. Inside each flower are creamy bracts which are similar to a star in shape. There is a Cornus for every season in your own garden. Dogwoods grown for the colour of their stems provide excellent winter colour. Flowering dogwoods will put on a spectacular display in early summer ; C. florida, C.kousa, C.capitata and C.nuttalii do best in well drained but fertile soil that is rich in organic matter. All species of Cornus will tolerate full sun or partial shade. Winter shrubby forms do best in full sun. Some Cornus can suffer from Cornus anthracnose which is a fungal disease which affects the North American Cornus species. This infection can cause blotches and die back on the leaves but can be treated with a fungicide.
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