Here, hobby gardeners with a penchant for ornamental trees can take full advantage. The wonderful genus of dogwoods (Cornus) gifts us with magnificent flowering bushes or small trees that amaze us all year round. An enchanting spring blossom culminates in brightly colored fruits, followed by an autumnal fireworks display of colors. The following answers to frequently asked questions cover all important aspects of cultivation.
What conditions does the dogwood prefer?
The dogwood genus includes magnificent flowering shrubs and small trees that delight with their spring blossoms, bright fruits and autumnal variety of colors. They prefer slightly acidic to neutral soil, sunny to partially shaded locations and constant soil moisture.
Planting dogwood correctly
Nursery stores usually offer dogwoods in containers. This has the advantage that you can plant the tree at any time of year as long as it doesn't freeze. A mild day in early autumn is considered the ideal date. Dig a pit three times the volume of the root ball in a sunny to partially shaded location. Add leaf compost, bark humus and horn shavings to the excavation. Only pot up a young horn bush after the root ball has been soaked in soft water. At the end, please ensure that the finish is flush with the garden floor. Water generously and mulch with leaves or bark mulch.read more
Care tips
With regard to the care program, there is a broad consensus within the dogwood genus - apart from cutting. How to do it right:
- Keep the soil constantly slightly moist, preferably with soft water
- In August/September and when flowering begins, fertilize with leaf compost (€14.00 on Amazon) and horn shavings
- Thoroughly thin out the bushes and treetops in late winter
- Coordinate the type and extent of pruning to the cultivated species
- Wear gloves for all care work
We recommend light winter protection in the year of planting and in container cultivation. Cover the soil with leaves, straw and coniferous twigs. The young shoots are given a cover made of garden fleece. Cover a pot with fleece, jute or bubble wrap and place it on a wooden block. Otherwise, all hornbush species are well hardy, so no further precautions need to be taken.read more
Which location is suitable?
The majority of the diverse dogwood species and varieties prefer a sunny to partially shaded location. So that you can enjoy the lavish blossoms in spring, the daily sunshine should be at least 4 hours. The hornbush beauties largely agree on the quality of the soil. The focus is on a slightly acidic to neutral pH value of 5.5 to 7.0, followed by a nutrient-rich, loamy-sandy, fresh-moist structure.read more
The correct planting distance
The selected hornbush species determines the ideal planting distance. For your reference, we have put together useful values for popular dogwoods:
- Carpet dogwood (Cornus canadensis): 20-30 cm - 6-8 plants per square meter
- White dogwood (Cornus alba): 100-120 cm
- Japanese cornelian cherry (Cornus officinalis): 300-400 cm
Cultivated as a hedge, an arrangement of 1 plant per linear meter has proven successful in practice for the dogwoods suitable for this purpose. Additionally, adjust the precise distance to the planned extent of the pruning.
What soil does the plant need?
The hornbush species agree on this question. A slightly acidic to neutral soil is the most important prerequisite for vital, flower-rich growth. In addition, the soil should be rich in nutrients, humus-loose, loamy-sandy and fresh-moist. Good water drainage is essential, because waterlogging will reliably kill any dogwood.
When is flowering time?
The lavish abundance of flowers takes our breath away every year from April to June. Furious inflorescences in the form of panicles or umbels unfold on the still leafless branches and exude an intoxicating scent. The color spectrum extends from elegant white to enchanting red nuances to bright yellow, on black, fiery red, deep brown or green shoots.read more
Cut dogwood correctly
Some of the most beautiful dogwoods grow very slowly and naturally develop a harmonious silhouette that does not require pruning. Magnificent specimens, such as the flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), are still thoroughly thinned out after flowering. Remove all dead wood at the base and any branches that are rubbing or turning inward. In contrast, fast-growing species such as Cornus alba Sibirica only achieve their optimum if all shoots are shortened to 30 cm during the leaf-free winter period. Compact ornamental trees for small gardens and containers, such as the red dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), are cut into shape a little after flowering and then carefully thin out the bush.read more
Watering dogwood
Water a horn bush in the bed and container whenever the surface of the soil has dried out. The perfect water balance is based on constant soil moisture with intermediate drying phases. Drought stress and waterlogging have equally damaging effects, including the death of the tree. It is an advantage if you use predominantly soft irrigation water to take into account the desire for a slightly acidic soil.
Fertilize dogwood properly
If the horn bush thrives in the bed, it gratefully accepts a portion of leaf compost with horn shavings in autumn. At the beginning of the flowering period, the tree receives a second helping to give the floral splendor even more momentum. In the bucket, pamper the ornamental tree with a liquid fertilizer every 4 weeks from March to August.read more
Diseases
Among the most beautiful hornbush species, the flowering dogwoods, a life-threatening plant disease called anthracnose has been rampant in recent years. Specifically, this is a stubborn vascular fungus that spreads through the veins of plants. As a symptom, individual leaves initially wilt. As the disease progresses, all of the foliage dies off and the shrub is deprived of its livelihood. Immediately cut off all affected shoots and also dispose of any leaves that have fallen to the ground. As a preventive measure, you can avoid drought stress by watering and mulching regularly. There must be no injuries to the root disk or the base of the trunk so that the cunning fungal spores cannot find access to the plant.read more
Wintering
An adult horn bush is completely hardy. We only recommend light winter protection in the year of planting and in pot culture. Cover the root disc with a thick layer of leaves or bark mulch. The still tender branches are given a hood made of breathable material. Give the buckets a winter coat made of bubble wrap, fleece or jute ribbons and slide a block of wood under them.
Propagate dogwoods
You can propagate the vast majority of dogwoods on your own. You can either cut top cuttings in April/May, pull sinkers to the ground in summer or use cuttings in autumn to let them root in the pot. If you don't shy away from the gardening challenge, you can take the cold-germinating seeds from the fruits and sow them. This requires a lot of patience, because a horn bush propagated from seedlings will only bloom for the first time after 3-5 years at the earliest. The refined flower dogwoods are an exception. Their propagation belongs in the expert hands of the master gardener.read more
How do I transplant correctly?
Transplanting does not cause any problems for the horn bush within the first 5 years of growth. The best time to relocate is early spring and fall. It is important to note that you maintain the previous planting depth as closely as possible and water abundantly and regularly in the following weeks. You should not subject an older dogwood to this strain, as rooting in the new location cannot be guaranteed.read more
Dogwood in pot
At least for a few years, the horn bush will be in the spotlight in a large pot on the balcony and terrace. Choose a vessel with a minimum volume of 20-30 liters. As a substrate, we recommend a mix of potting soil, leaf compost, horn shavings and lava granules or perlite. A water-conducting layer made of inorganic material prevents harmful waterlogging at the bottom of the pot. Please keep in mind that there is a regular need for more watering in the pot than in the garden soil. Therefore, check every 1-2 days whether the substrate has dried out so that you can water in a timely manner. From March to August, apply liquid fertilizer every 4 weeks. Before the first frost, the substrate receives a thick layer of leaves. Also wrap the pot with bubble wrap to prevent the root ball from freezing.
Is dogwood poisonous?
Almost all members of the broad dogwood genus should be treated with caution. Toxic substances can be contained in the leaves and flowers as well as in the fruits. Additionally, the foliage and berries are often covered in tiny hairs that can cause skin allergies upon contact. However, there are exceptions, such as the cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), which presents us with small, edible cherries in autumn. Therefore, if you are looking for a horn bush for the family garden, ask precisely when purchasing it from the tree nursery. For reasons of caution, we recommend wearing protective gloves for all planting and care work.read more
Beautiful varieties
- Elegantissima: Magnificent horn bush with yellow-white variegated leaves, white flowers and red winter shoots; 2-3 m
- Flaviramea: A yellowwood dogwood with yellow branches, white flowers, white fruits and bushy habit: 3-5 m
- Japanese cornelian cherry: impresses with bright yellow flowers, magnificent autumn foliage and edible fruits; 5-7 m
- Lady of the Cross: Premium horn bush with cross-shaped, 9 cm large, creamy white flowers from May to June; 2-3 m
- Milky Way: Chinese dogwood with abundant spring blooms and slightly arching branches; 3-3.5m
- Cherokee Chief: Flower hornbush Cornus florida, which delights us with huge, pink cupped flowers; 4-6 m
- Pluribracteata: Picturesque ornamental tree, extremely robust, wintergreen and with double, white flowers; 4-6 m
- Midwinter Fire: Impresses with a wintry fireworks display of colors with red-yellow leaves on red wood; 2-2.5m
- Variegata: Pagoda horn bush, which impresses with its tiered growth, white-variegated leaves that turn red in autumn; 4-6 m
- Carpet dogwood: Flowering ground cover with white cupped flowers and spherical, red fruits; 10-20cm
