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Japanese Dogwood Trees, Cornus Florida Dogwoods
Dogwood Trees: Spring Blooms, Fall Foliage

By David Beaulieu, About.com

Picture of a dogwood tree in its fall colors.

Picture of a dogwood tree in its fall colors. Click the image to access the mini-photo gallery.

David Beaulieu

Dogwoods give you "2 for the price of 1." Best known for their spring blooms, they also provide fine fall foliage. For pictures, click on photo at right to open photo gallery.

Kousa Dogwood Trees (Japanese Dogwood Trees)

Japanese, or "kousa" dogwood trees (Cornus kousa) can be grown in zones 5-8. Their star-shaped blooms appear later in spring than do the flowers on other dogwoods; the (usually) white color of these flowers makes Japanese dogwoods useful in moon gardens. Fall foliage is purplish-red. The red berries of kousa dogwood trees persist into winter and are eaten by wild birds. Average height and spread of 15'-30'.

A variation is provided by the "Satomi" kousa dogwood tree (Cornus kousa 'Satomi'), which bears deep pink blossoms in spring. Height 25'.

Flowering Dogwood Trees

Cornus florida is the indigenous flowering dogwood tree in the U.S., where it is commonly referred to simply as, "flowering dogwood tree," as if there were no other. Such is the fondness for this fall foliage standout among landscaping enthusiasts in the U.S.

"Cherokee Chief" flowering dogwoods (Cornus florida 'Cherokee Chief') offer an impressive array of landscaping benefits. The lower branches of this "bird magnet" have a horizontal branching pattern, which in itself lends interest to the landscape. "Cherokee Chief" dogwoods grow to a height of 20'-25' and a spread of 12'-15'. This dogwood tree puts out red blooms in spring, while its fall foliage ranges from reddish-bronze to purplish. Zones 5-9.

More on Trees With Colorful Fall Foliage

Fall Foliage of Ash Trees
Fall Foliage of Aspen Trees
Fall Foliage of Beech Trees
Fall Foliage of Birch Trees
Fall Foliage of Japanese Maple Trees
Fall Foliage of Maple Trees
Fall Foliage of Oak Trees
Fall Foliage of Shagbark Hickory Trees
Fall Foliage of Sweetgum Trees
Fall Foliage of Sumac Trees
Fall Foliage of Ginkgo Biloba Trees

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