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Gray Dogwood

Cornus racemosa


Hardiness Zones: 3 - 8   View Map
  • Blooms for 7–10 days in late May or early June, with small, creamy white flowers arranged in flat panicles
  • Adapts to many soil types and conditions
  • Transplants easily
  • Features grayish-green to dark green leaves that are narrow-elliptic to ovate-lanceolate and 2–4" long, turning reddish-purple in the fall
  • Produces ¼" white fruit that grows on reddish-pink pedicels and matures in late summer or early fall; the pedicels are exposed when the fruit falls, adding nice fall/winter color
  • Grows in an irregular to rounded shape
  • Can be cut back to the ground if it becomes too large and woody
  • Is occasionally grown as a small tree, where it can be used for foundations, entranceways, borders, or specimen planting

Tree Details

Shape

Irregular

Growth Speed

Slow

Scientific Name

Cornus racemosa

Mature Height

10' - 15'

Mature Spread

10' - 15'

Shipping Height

2'-3'

Highlights

This tough, low-maintenance shrub offers subtle year-round beauty. White panicles of flowers brighten the landscape in June. White berries attract many birds in the late summer and early fall. And the reddish-pink fruit stems persist into the winter, adding a nice color contrast to the gray bark.

Gray dogwoods are great for borders, groups, and masses. They can also be grown as small trees to be used for foundations, entranceways, borders, or specimen planting.

Sun Preference

Full Sun, Partial Sun/Shade, Full Shade

Soil Preference

Drought, Wet, Moist, Well Drained, Rich, Alkaline

Wildlife Value

The gray dogwood is a forage plant for white-tailed deer. The berries appear before most other dogwoods, making it popular with the squirrels and over 100 bird species that eat the fruit. It forms a dense thicket, providing cover and nesting sites for wildlife.

History/Lore

The gray dogwood is native to the eastern and midwestern United States and southern Canada. Cornus is the Latin name for dogwood, and racemosa refers to the type of compound flower arrangement (raceme). Another common name is the panicled dogwood.

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