Planting dogwood properly
Nurseries offer Dogwood mostly in a container. This has the advantage that you can plant the wood at any time of the year as long as it doesn't freeze. A mild day in early autumn is an ideal date. In the sunny to partially shaded location, dig a pit with three times the volume of the root ball. Give the excavation compost, bark humus and Horn shavings(€ 32.93 at Amazon *) added. Do not pot a young horn shrub until the root ball has been soaked in soft water. At the end, please ensure that it is flush with the Garden soil. Pour generously on and mulch with leaves or bark mulch.
Continue reading
also read
- Dogwood - many types and varieties for every garden
- Most dogwoods thrive in a location with light partial shade
- Perfect for large gardens: dogwood as a hedge
Care tips
With regard to the maintenance program, there is broad consensus within the dogwood genus - apart from cutting. How to do it right:
- Keep the soil constantly slightly moist, preferably with soft water
- In August / September and at the beginning of flowering with deciduous compost and Horn shavings(€ 32.93 at Amazon *) fertilize
- In late winter shrub and Treetop thinning out thoroughly
- Match the type and extent of the pruning to the cultivated species
- Wear gloves for all maintenance work
We recommend light winter protection in the year of planting and in pots. Cover the earth with leaves, straw and needles. The young shoots get a hood off Garden fleece. Cover a pot with fleece, jute or bubble wrap and place it on a wooden block. Otherwise, all horn shrub species are well winter hardy, so that no further precautions need to be taken.
Continue reading
Which location is suitable?
The majority of the varied dogwood species and varieties favor a sunny to partially shaded location. So that you can enjoy the lavish blossoms in spring, the daily solar yield should be at least 4 hours. The horn shrub beauties largely agree when it comes to soil conditions. The focus is on a slightly acidic to neutral pH value of 5.5 to 7.0, followed by a nutrient-rich, loamy-sandy, fresh-moist structure.
Continue reading
The correct planting distance
The selected horn bush type determines the ideal planting distance. For your orientation, we have put together useful values for popular dogwoods:
- Carpet Dogwood (Cornus canadensis): 20-30 cm - 6-8 plants per square meter
- White and variegated dogwood (Cornus alba): 100-120 cm
- Japanese Cornelian cherry (Cornus officinalis): 300-400 cm
Cultivated as a hedge, an arrangement of 1 plant per running meter has proven itself in practice for the dogwood suitable for this purpose. In addition, adjust the precise distance to the planned scope of the cut back.
What soil does the plant need?
The horn shrub species comply with this question. A slightly acidic to neutral soil is the most important premise for vital, flower-rich growth. In addition, the soil should be rich in nutrients, humus-loose, loamy-sandy and fresh and moist. A good drainage is essential, because waterlogging brings down every dogwood reliably.
When is the flowering time?
The lavish abundance of flowers takes our breath away every year from April to June. Furious inflorescences in panicle or umbel shape develop on the still leafless branches, giving off a bewitching scent. The color spectrum ranges from elegant white to enchanting shades of red to bright yellow, on black, fiery red, deep brown or green shoots.
Continue reading
Cut dogwood properly
Some of the most beautiful dogwoods grow very slowly and naturally develop a harmonious silhouette that does not require pruning. Magnificent specimens such as the flower dogwood (Cornus florida) are nevertheless thoroughly thinned out after flowering. Remove any deadwood from the base and any rubbing or inward-facing twigs. In contrast, fast-growing species such as Cornus alba Sibirica only achieve their optimum when all shoots are shortened to 30 cm during the leaf-free winter time. Compact ornamental trees for the small garden and the tub, such as the red dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), after flowering, cut a little in shape and, on this occasion, carefully thin the shrub the end.
Continue reading
Pour the dogwood
Always water a horn bush in the bed and in the bucket when the surface of the earth is dry. The perfect water balance is based on constant soil moisture with intermittent drying phases. Drought stress and waterlogging have an equally damaging effect, up to and including the death of the wood. It is an advantage if you mainly use soft irrigation water in order to meet the need for a slightly acidic soil.
Fertilize dogwood properly
If the horn bush thrives in the bed, it gratefully accepts a portion of leaf compost with horn shavings in autumn. At the beginning of the flowering period, the wood is given a second helping to give the floral splendor even more momentum. In the bucket you pamper the ornamental wood from March to August every 4 weeks with a liquid fertilizer.
Diseases
Among the most beautiful horn shrub species, the flower dogwood, a life-threatening plant disease called anthracnose has been rampant in recent years. Specifically, it is a stubborn vascular fungus that spreads in the plant veins. As a symptom, individual leaves initially wither. In the further course, the entire foliage dies and the shrub is deprived of its livelihood. Immediately cut off all infected shoots and also dispose of the fallen leaves. As a preventive measure, you can avoid drought stress by watering and mulching regularly. There must be no injuries to the root disc or the base of the trunk, so that the cunning fungal spores cannot gain access to the plant.
Continue reading
Overwinter
An adult horn shrub is completely hardy. We only recommend light winter protection in the year of planting and in pots. Cover the root disc with a thick layer of fallen leaves or bark mulch. The still tender branches are covered with a hood made of breathable material. For buckets, you can give a winter coat made of bubble wrap, fleece or jute tape and slide a block of wood underneath.
Dogwood propagate
You can propagate the vast majority of dogwood on your own. You can choose to cut head cuttings in April / May, pull sinkers to the ground in summer or use cuttings in autumn to root them in the pot. Those who are not afraid of the horticultural challenge can take the cold-germinating seeds from the fruit for one sowing. A long line of patience is required, because a seedling-propagated horn bush does not bloom for the first time until after 3-5 years at the earliest. The refined flower dogwoods are an exception. Their propagation belongs in the expert hands of the gardener.
Continue reading
How do I transplant properly?
Transplanting does not cause the horn shrub any problems within the first 5 years. The best time to change location is early spring and autumn. It is important to note that you maintain the previous planting depth as precisely as possible and water abundantly and regularly in the following weeks. You shouldn't put this strain on an older dogwood, as rooting in the new place cannot be guaranteed.
Continue reading
Dogwood in the pot
At least for a few years, the horn bush will be in the limelight in a large pot on the balcony and terrace. Choose a container with a minimum volume of 20-30 liters. We recommend a mix of substrates as a substrate Potting soil, Leaf compost, horn shavings and Lava granules(€ 14.00 at Amazon *) or perlite. A water-bearing layer made of inorganic material prevents damaging waterlogging on the bottom of the pot. Please keep in mind that there is regularly a higher watering requirement in the bucket than in the garden soil. Therefore, check every 1-2 days whether the substrate has dried in order to water in time. From March to August, apply a liquid fertilizer every 4 weeks. Before the first frost, the substrate is given a thick layer of foliage. Also wrap the pot with bubble wrap so that the root ball does not freeze through.
Is Dogwood Poisonous?
Almost all members of the broad dogwood genus should be treated with caution. Toxic substances can be contained in the leaves and flowers as well as in the fruits. In addition, the foliage and berries are often covered with tiny hairs that can trigger skin allergies on contact. However, there are exceptions, such as the cornel (Cornus mas), which gives us small, edible cherries in autumn. When purchasing a tree, you should therefore ask precisely if you are looking for a horn bush for the family garden. For reasons of caution, we recommend wearing protective gloves for all planting and maintenance work.
Continue reading
Nice varieties
- Elegantissima: Magnificent horn shrub with yellow-white variegated leaves, white flowers and red winter shoots; 2-3 m
- Flaviramea: A yellowwood dogwood that has yellow branches, white flowers, white fruits and a bushy habit: 3-5 m
- Japanese cornel: scores with bright yellow flowers, magnificent autumn leaves and edible fruits; 5-7 m
- Queen of the Cross: Premium horn shrub with cross-shaped, 9 cm large, creamy white flowers from May to June; 2-3 m
- Milky Way: Chinese dogwood with abundant spring blooms and slightly overhanging branches; 3-3.5 m
- Cherokee Chief: Cornus florida, a horny flower that delights us with its huge, pink-colored cupped flowers; 4-6 m
- Pluribracteata: Picturesque ornamental wood, extremely robust, evergreen and with double, white flowers; 4-6 m
- Midwinter Fire: Impresses with a wintry firework of colors with red-yellow leaves on the red wood; 2-2.5 m
- Variegata: pagoda horn shrub, which inspires with layer-like growth, white-variegated leaves that are red in autumn; 4-6 m
- Carpet dogwood: flower-rich ground cover with white peel flowers and spherical, red fruits; 10-20 cm
