Native Plant Series: Flowering Dogwood

PLANT THIS: Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) is a small tree that is native to the eastern part of the United States. They are known for their show stopping  “flowers” in the spring. The white or pink petals that most people think of as flowers are actually bracts or specialized leaves. Flowering dogwoods produce fruits that are food for many species of wildlife including turkeys, chipmunks and rabbits. The tree also is the host plant for the Spring Azure butterfly. Flowering Dogwoods are a perfect replacement plant for the dreaded Callery Pear. Callery Pears are also known by the common cultivator name - Bradford Pear. For some reason, these invasive trees have been planted all throughout our area (on purpose!) These trees have been banned in neighboring states because they so easily escape lawns and have spread wildly throughout the country. If you have a Callery Pear - you know you hate the way it smells in the spring so do us all a favor and remove it! 

To learn more about the flowering dogwood, visit: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/growing-flowering-dogwood-trees/

Wondering what’s so bad about Callery Pear trees? Visit http://mdinvasives.org/iotm/april-2007/

This “Plant This, Not That” Series is provided by Zander Hine, Student Board Member