Cornus controversa
elephantine , table , or wedding patty dogwoods overtop care in the landscape painting .
With their superimposed branch and profuse bloom , it ’s laborious to look at anything else , and if you have the vary type , it ’s even more dramatic .
Giant cornel grow indigenously in temperate areas of China , Japan , Korea , Nepal , and Vietnam , but they ’re naturalise throughout the world .
And so long as you live in the appropriate climate of USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9 , they ’re reasonably easygoing .
In spite of one of their common name calling being “ elephantine , ” table dogwoods are n’t necessarily vast , either , topping out at 50 feet tall or less .
The variegated cultivar commonly referred to as the hymeneals cake tree often remains much little at just 25 feet tall .
Ideal as shade or specimen trees , they can be used in formal planting and as a focal pointedness to anchor the relaxation of the garden .
Inour guide to raise dogwoods , we cover how to train species in theCornusgenus .
get right up we ’re plump to spill all thing tabular array , giant , or nuptials bar dogwood . Here ’s what ’s on the agenda :
What You’ll Learn
Quick Look
How to Grow
Where to Buy
sustentation
extension
Pests and Disease
board dogwoods are prompt develop deciduous trees , so you could savour their statuesque , superimposed showing in a relatively light menstruation of time of about 10 year .
What makes them support out is the tiered increment habit , with the multiple layers of branches inspiring the coarse name “ nuptials patty ” and “ tabular array . ”
The leave are unripened on top and atomic number 47 - green on the undersurface .
Unlike all otherCornusspecies exceptC. alternifolia , the pagoda dogwood , the farewell are alternate rather than paired .
Table dogwoods do n’t bring forth the large , showy bract of the popularflowering cornel ( C. florida)orkousa ( C. kousa ) .
alternatively , they have numerous , declamatory , flattened panicle made up of dozens of small , creamy - white efflorescence .
These open up in late natural spring or former summertime , reckon on where you live .
The bloom persist for a few weeks and then fade , have way to fruit that will finally mature into sour purple or black in the other gloaming .
Common name(s):Giant , tabular array , wedding bar dogwood
industrial plant type : Deciduous tree diagram
Hardiness ( USDA Zone):5 - 9
Native to : China , Japan , Korea , Nepal , Vietnam
Bloom time / season : Spring
photo : Full to fond sun
filth eccentric : Loose , organically - rich , well drain
Soil pH:5.0 - 7.5 , slightly acidic to neutral
clip to maturity:10 yr
grow size:50 ft wide x 50 ft high
skillful uses : Shade , specimen
Taxonomy
club : Cornales
Family : Cornaceae
Genus : Cornus
Species : Controversa
In 1890 , the celebrated Veitch Nursery in Exeter , England started advertize the variegated form of the flora . While the species is a stunner , the variegate character is breathtaking .
C. controversa‘Variegata ’ is more common even than the species , and it ’s obvious why .
It ’s a stunner . The leave have cream to flatware margin and these margins reverse to bright scandalmongering in the drop while the rest of the foliage take on a red chromaticity .
When most gardener say “ wedding bar dogwood tree , ” this is usually the one they ’re picturing .
It ’s been described as everything from “ sophisticated ” and “ fall ” to “ unusual ” and “ amazing . ” It ’s undeniably a rack - out .
‘ Variegata ’ is more slow - growing than the species and matures at about 25 feet improbable , making it an excellent pick for smaller region .
This cultivar come through the Royal Horticultural Society ’s Award of Garden Merit in 1993 .
Ready to let in one of these beauties in your landscape ? Let ’s have a look at their care needs :
To transplant a sapling from the glasshouse , dig a yap three times as wide and deep as the growing container and do work equal part well - molder compost into the soil that you removed and put it all back in the hole .
Make a hole in the center that is just a bit wider than the container the plant is presently growing in . take away the plant from the container and softly relax up the solution .
correct the dogwood in the hole and fill in around it with the compost soil mixture . The works should be sit around at the same height it was in the growing container .
Water the territory and add a bit more if it settles .
Light
originate elephantine cornel in full or fond sunshine . Those who live in red-hot climate should definitely provide some afternoon specter , as the Tree do n’t do well in excessive warmth .
The variegated cultivar can be grown in partial specter , which will keep the variegation skillful and distinct and encourages the layered organization .
Temperature
Hardy in zone 5 to 9 , nuptials cake trees do n’t do well in very hot southern climates . They enjoy nerveless summers like what you’re able to see in the Pacific Northwest .
Temperatures above 90 ° atomic number 9 are detrimental and can harm the trees . Excessive heat can slow down maturation and cauterise the foliage .
carry period of live weather will cause the leaves to yellow and discharge and might even kill the tree diagram .
Soil
The soil needs to be organically - rich and well - draining , and sooner a little bit acidic to neutral with a pH between 5.0 to 7.5 .
It can be slightly sandy or slightly stiff , but nothing too uttermost .
Water
Giant dogwoods like a tidy sum of water , though they can tolerate some drought once established .
sample to keep the soil consistently moist , but you could allow the top few inch of grime to dry out between waterings calculate for the texture of a well - wrung - out sponge .
Mulch regularlyto maintain an in or two of fir bark or well - rotted compost over the root geographical zone but three to six inches aside from the torso .
Mulch will help keep the beginning nerveless and retain the wet in the soil .
Fertilizing
You should n’t require to fertilize an found specimen at all . If your dirt is very deficient youcan provide some additional nutrients during the first few year while the tree is young .
I extremely advance you to do a soil trial , as that ’s the only direction to know what your soil is lacking and what you demand to amend it with .
Anygood territory testwill tell you where you soil is deficient and will provide suggestions about how to improve it .
While not as well-off to find as the more common unfolding dogwood , you may mostly corrupt sapling at your local garden center or plant baby’s room .
You may see table dogwoods listed asSwida controversa , asSwidais a synonym forCornusand is now study a defunct genus .
Depending on the look you want and whether you want to be able to walk or sit under the tabular array dogwood tree tree diagram , you might want to rationalize off the lower branch .
The tree diagram will often grow with offset reaching almost to the ground if left to its own machine .
But some nurseryman prefer it to have a more traditional canopy that embark on six feet or so above the ground .
take the outgrowth at the body by cutting at a flimsy slant . You desire the arm collar , which is the swollen area on the undersurface of the branch where it suffer the trunk , to remain in place .
Slope from the out edge of the branch collar to gather the trunk at the top of the branch you ’re removing . Do n’t paint the wound with anything , just allow the tree to heal itself .
you’re able to polish off ramification to make more of an opening between the layers or to even out a lopsided tree , but I commend allowing the tree to evolve its own shape .
tree raise to best take advantage of the available light and oblige any veritable winds , it ’s dear to admit the dogwood to develop naturally .
Pruning should be done in the former spring after the wood has thaw , but if you see diseased , twist , or broken branches , feel free to prune them anytime .
Because these trees can be a piffling laborious to find on the marketplace , spate of nurseryman choose to mature theirs from seeded player or via stem cutting from an exist tree .
Fortunately , both these multiplication methods are dependable . you may also ingraft these trees , but that ’s best left to the experts .
From Seed
In the summer , after the bloom fade , the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree will develop small berries , known as drupes .
When the doll get eating them and they are dark and squishy is normally when they ’re mature enough to harvest .
Pry them open and remove the seed , then soak in water for 24 hours and fray them on a towel to withdraw the pulp magazine .
At this point , you’re able to either sow the cum in the terra firma or put them in moist sphagnum moss and keep them in the fridge for three month .
put them in the electric refrigerator mimicker the cold social stratification that occur naturally over the winter month .
you may amend your filth with lots ofwell - rot compost , but it ’s not necessary .
Sow two seeds together about a one-quarter to half an in abstruse , then cover the planting area with a piece of wire mesh to foreclose birds or critters from disturbing the seeds .
Keep the filth equally moist if Mother Nature does n’t do it for you .
If you prefer to start the cum indoors in saltation , keep your seeds in the fridge for three month . While they ’re in there , keep the moss moist but not soaking wet .
If you notice any mold organise , dip the germ in a 20 percent bleach result and then place them in fresh moss . After three calendar month , remove them from the fridge and soak them for 24 hours in a bowling ball of water .
Fill six - inch pile with potting mix and place two seed in the center of each container a half to after part column inch deep .
Place the pots in an region with at least four hours of direct sunlight and keep the potting soil evenly moist .
The seed do n’t demand light to develop but a sunny locating provides much needed warmth . It can take up to a calendar month for the seeds to burgeon forth .
When the baby plant is at least six inches magniloquent and the last icing of the year has pass in the saltation , harden off the seedling over the course of a week before transplantation .
From Stem Cuttings
dogwood are light to grow from fore cutting as they steady down readily .
expect until the recent winter or early spring when the bud are starting to swell but have n’t opened .
When the leaves go forth and in full unfastened , you’re able to harden off the cuttings if you were growing them inwardly before transplantation .
Managing Pests and Disease
Provided that you get your tree in an appropriate topographic point and give it the conditions it prefer , it ’s unlikely that you ’ll ever have any issues with pests or disease .
accent flora are susceptible to the following :
Insects
There are legion pests that trouble dogwoods , but for the most part , if your tree is healthy an plague wo n’t necessarily spell cataclysm . That ’s especially true if you catch the consequence early on .
ordered series insects are usual . They come in a variety of flesh and sizes , from armoured oystershell musical scale to subdued dark-brown scale .
They use their sapsucking mouthpart to feed on the cosh of the tree , exuding a sticky substance called honeydew .
This causes yellow leaves and stunt ontogenesis . Our guide to controlling scalehas more information .
There are also multiple kinds of borers that privilege dogwoods . dogwood tree borers , the larvae ofSynanthedon scitula , burrow into the wood and feed . This cause folio drop-off and twig death .
dogwood tree twig borer ( Oberea tripunctata ) provender on young twig , causing tip death and leaf drib .
Flatheaded appletree borers ( Chrysobothris femorata ) chew through the bark and cambium bed , girdle the tree diagram and causing tissue die off anywhere they feed .
see all about dogwood pests and how to wangle them here .
Disease
nuptials patty dogwoods are resistant to twig blight , which is a problem for manyCornusspecies .
There are two types of anthracnose that trouble many dogwoods . These are discula and spot anthracnose , caused bythe fungusDiscula destructivaandElsinoe cornirespectively .
Both get tan and reddish - purple spots on leaves and bracts , while discula also cause recessed canker . These cankers can girdle and even kill the tree diagram .
Leaf spot is another common issue . Caused byCercospora cornicolaorSeptoria cornicola , it results in little , irregularly - shaped tan to black spots .
eventually , there ’s powdery mould . alike to the powdery mold that attacks your cucurbit during the summertime , it causes a powdery surface on the leave .
It is triggered by the fungiErysiphe pulchraorPhyllactinia guttata .
find out about all these and how to mete out with them inour template to dogwood diseases .
A Giant Wedding Cake
Table dogwood are stately beaut that command tending , but they do n’t demand a hatful of sustentation in return .
They ’re pretty easy to give care for but their tiered growth habit look like something you ’d need to spend hours pruning !
And if you ’d like toread more about theCornusgenus , why not add these guides to your meter reading lean next :
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Kristine Lofgren
