Flowering Dogwood Tree Uses

Flowering dogwood is one of the species of deciduous trees that belong to Cornaceae family. A woody plant, flowering dogwood tree uses are great as far as the landscaping and garden decorating is concerned. Flowering dogwood tree looks very elegant and no doubt it has got a great ornamental value as well. They are woody plants with perennial stem and a thick bark. Dogwoods tend to be strong despite the changing seasons.

Flowering Dogwood Taxonomy

Flowering dogwood tree's scientific name is Cornus florida. Check out the flowering dogwood tree taxonomy.

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Cornales
Family : Cornaceae
Genus : Cornus

Flowering Dogwood Facts

Flowering dogwood tree is an easy to maintain but relatively a fragile sort of ornamental trees for landscaping. It thrives best in the canopies of other larger trees and hence, flowering dogwood uses are enormous for the homeowners and landscape designers. Flowering dogwood tree is very versatile with attractive colors and a relatively modest size. Flowering dogwood tree leaf or foliage changes color as the seasons change. The leaves are very luxurious and very bright yet soothing in color. Fruits of several flowering dogwood trees are edible so there are many flowering dogwood uses as far as the commercial benefits are concerned. Flowering dogwood trees need a bit extra than the ordinary ornamental plant care.

Selecting Flowering Dogwood Tree
This is the most important factor in order to serve the purpose of an ideal flowering dogwood tree. The best thing to be done is to plant a wild flowering dogwood, which is relatively less diseased. If that is not possible, you can always buy the plants from any certified plant nursery. Certified disease free nursery is the best choice available. Placement of the flowering dogwood tree is also very important. Flowering dogwoods thrive best in the humid and moist surroundings, where the soil is rich in nutrients. The flowering dogwood tree uses a slightly acid loam soil. Make sure you do not plant the flowering dogwood trees near the heat reflecting walls and also, water the trees on a regular basis.

Flowering Dogwood Tree Care
Good and moist soil is an extremely important factor as far as the health of the flowering dogwood trees are concerned. In order to provide the dogwood tree with the best sort of soil, add the beneficial mycorrhizal fungi. Along with soil, fertilization of flowering dogwood trees needs proper attention, as it plays a vital role in maintaining numerous characteristics of the flowering dogwood tree. Irrigation of the plant must also be looked after and especially during dry days. Pruning dogwood trees, in order to remove the injured, unhealthy and dead branches is very important. One also has to be careful while using lawnmowers around the flowering dogwood trees as they can provide potential harm to the plant and it can become a feed for various kinds of fungi and insects.

Flowering Dogwood Tree Uses

The most prominent of all the uses is the visual satisfaction these plants give, all year round. Flowering dogwood is the most beloved plant of all because it has got the ability to fill even the moderate space with vibrant colors. There is a wide variety for the landscapers to choose when it comes to the colors of the flowering dogwood tree. This is the reason why its uses as ornamental trees are just infinite, especially in eastern regions of North America. Flowering dogwood trees bloom in spring and are really 'hard to beat' on all practical grounds. They can slowly adapt to any kind of soil, tolerate moderate droughts and are free from any major plant diseases. It is used as a companion for several other trees like azaleas, redbud and forsythia are widely observed as these trees provide the kind of shade that the flowering dogwood tree requires.

Flowering dogwood uses, on economical ground are worth considering as well. Flowering dogwoods are invaluable for their beautiful flowers, flower bracts, flowering dogwood fruits, stems and twigs, and the most colorful flowering dogwood leave in the autumn. Several species of flowering dogwood tree like Cornelian cherry, red-osier dogwood, Japanese dogwood and several other species are used to make various commercial products. For example Cornelian cherry fruits are used to make the famous vin de courneille (certain beverage) in France. Fruit oil from the blood twigged dogwood tree is used as an essential oil for making soaps.

There is a Christian legend that claims that the cross that was used for crucifixion of Jesus Christ was made of the flowering dogwood tree. After the crucifixion, Jesus turned the plant into the dwarf size with those twisted branches! It is also said that the inflorescence of the dogwood flowers represent crucifixion as they have four cross shaped white bracts, each representing the corners of the cross and the red stamen that represent the crown of thorn that Jesus wore! Well, there are no evidences to defend this legend though.

Flowering dogwood trees are the best if you are also looking to give your landscaping a complete makeover. They are easy to grow with colorful blooms on the cards with the minimal of expenditure.