Cornus florida Flowering dogwood holds a special place in the heart of all who love trees. Perhaps this is because of its bloom — bursting forth in the dark woods or barren backyard with a promise that the dreary days of winter are over. Perhaps it is its brilliant fall leaves and bright berries, or the unusual pattern of its bark. Maybe it’s the gracefulness of its crown, or, for those who look closely, the interesting shape of its buds. Whatever the reason, this little tree has long been a favorite in America. It captured the fancy of George Washington who wrote in his diary on this fifty-third birthday that he had planted “a circle of Dogwood with a red bud in the middle…” at his beloved Mount Vernon. Six years later, in 1791, the romantic botanist William Bartram noted a “grove” of dogwoods in Alabama that “continued nine or ten miles unalter(ed), except here and there are a towering magnolia.” He conjectured that the “spacious groves of this fine flowering tree…must, in the spring season, when covered with blossoms, present a most pleasing scene.” Scenes like that on a grand scale soon yielded to the ax and saw as … Continue reading Flowering Dogwood: Spring Splendor in the Forest