Arguably the most beautiful of the flowering trees, (especially in Ian’s eyes – hence why he used them in his last Chelsea entry), the Cornus florida, commonly known as Flowering Dogwood, is a wide spreading, small deciduous tree that is perfect for cooler areas of Australia. Typically growing to 10 m tall, it is often wider than it is tall when mature, with a trunk diameter of up to 30 cm. A 10-year-old tree will stand about 5 m tall. It is low-branching, broadly-pyramidal but somewhat flat-topped. Blooming in early spring, its flowers are actually tiny, yellowish green and insignificant, being compacted into button-like clusters – however, each flower cluster is surrounded by four showy, white, petal-like bracts which open flat, giving the appearance of a single, large white flower. Oval, dark green leaves turn attractive shades of red in autumn. Bright red fruits are bitter and inedible to humans but are loved by birds. Fruits mature in late summer to early autumn and may persist until late in the year.
Flowering Dogwood thrives in moist, acidic soil in a site with some afternoon shade, but good morning sun. It’s important to plant in a protected position as it does not do well when exposed to intense heat sources such as adjacent parking lots or air conditioning compressors. New plantings should be mulched to a depth of 5 to 10 cm, avoiding the stem. Dead wood and leaves should be pruned and completely removed and destroyed yearly. Plants should be watered weekly during droughts, with watering done in the morning, avoiding wetting the foliage.
We’ve chosen Flowering Dogwood trees down the west side wall of our Kew project for their sheer beauty and subtle colourings which will allow the exterior of this grand house to shine.
from landscape.net.au https://www.landscape.net.au/flowering-dogwood-cornus-florida/
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