May 4, 2022

Show your Pride in BC with a Dogwood Tree

Dogwoods Bring Beautiful Blooms

May brings many trees into bloom. BC’s provincial flower, the Dogwood, provides the most spectacular show during the early part of the month.

Dogwoods have broad leaves and spreading branches with beautiful blooming white flowers. Dogwoods are deciduous trees, meaning they lose their leaves in the winter. The foliage turns a striking shade of red before falling off too.

Caring For Dogwood Trees

Dogwood trees prefer partial shade and will do well with some afternoon shade to protect them from the hot sun.

Dogwoods also require nutrient-rich, well-draining soil as it is important not to overwater Dogwoods or leave them sitting in poorly-draining soil.

Once established, they will enjoy a light fertilizer in the springtime. During extremely dry summers like the one we experienced last year, Dogwoods will benefit from a deep soaking at least once a month.

Pruning Dogwood Trees

The best time to prune your Dogwood tree would be in late fall or early winter here on the coast. When the plant goes dormant,  we recommend pruning and applying a dormant spray kit which includes Horticultural Oil & Lime.

Not sure how to prune? Not to worry! Download our ‘Practical Pruning Guide’ for more information.

Dogwood Varieties

There are many beautiful varieties of Dogwood that bloom including:

  • Cornus florida ‘Rubra’ – Pink Flowering Dogwood
  • Cornus kousa ‘Satomi’ – Satomi Dogwood
  • Cornus kousa chinensis – Korean Dogwood
  • Cornus nuttallii ‘Eddi’s White Wonder’ Dogwood

You can find a great selection of these varieties in our Surrey store Nursery. Please note that we can have any tree transferred from our Surrey store to the Vancouver store.