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How was dogwood used as a calendar?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

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April 14, 2003

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The flowering dogwood (Cornus florida Linnaeus) is native to eastern North America and, according to Mrs. Grieve (A Modern Herbal, 1931, reprinted 1996) was introduced into European gardening around 1760. Dogwoods were not new to European gardeners, forty-five species of Cornus are found scattered around the Northern Hemisphere.

Plant of the Week 04/10/2006

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)
Plant of the Week 04/10/2006

Flowering dogwoods are small woodland trees once useful to the North American natives. The bark from the roots was used to make a scarlet pigment; the bark of the trunk and branches, similar in action to quinine (Cinchona species) from South America, was used to treat fevers.

In 1817, William P.C. Barton who studied American plants wrote of their use by Atlantic creoles (free black land owners in Virginia in the 1700s and early 1800s), "The young branches stripped of their bark, and rubbed with their ends against the teeth, render them extremely white. The Creole...who inhabit Norfolk, in Virginia...are in constant practice of using dogwood twigs in cleansing their teeth; the striking whiteness of these, which I have frequently observed, is a proof of the efficacy of this practice. The application of the juice of these twigs to the gums, is also useful in preserving them hard and sound." (Cited in American Medicinal Plants, Charles F. Millspaugh, 1892, reprinted 1974)

Dogwoods also served as calendars. Millspaugh noted, "Its principal central localities are the States of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, where it flowers in May, generally from the 15th to the 22d, and fruits in September. A peculiar feature in the blossoming of this species is the great regularity in time of appearance of its short-lived blossoms; so characteristic is this that the Indians always planted their corn when the blossoms appeared."

The College of Natural Resources, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has several great photographs of the flowering dogwood, Cornus florida. To view the photographs, click on the link:

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/cflorida.htm

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Dogwood, Flowering Special

Henry Fields Seed and Nursery®

Save $9.95! Gorgeous spring blossoms, handsome summer foliage, plus a stunning fall color show. Red has red-purple foliage tints when it leafs out. Pink is green and yellow variegated. Berries cling into winter. Grows 15-25 ft. tall, spreads 12-20 ft. Likes partial shade, tolerates full sun.

Save $9.95! Get one each of: Red, Pink. Zone 5 to 9 Click here - $20 off at Henry Fields Seed and Nursery! [More Flowering Trees!]

Dogwoods

Henry Fields Seed and Nursery®

Beautiful all year!

Gorgeous spring blossoms, handsome summer foliage, plus a stunning fall color show. Red has red-purple foliage tints when it leafs out. Pink is green-and-yellow variegated. Berries cling into winter. Dogwood grows 15-25 ft. tall, spreads 12-20 ft. Likes partial shade and tolerates full sun.

Zone 5 to 9 Both Red and White Listed. Click here - $20 off at Henry Fields Seed and Nursery!
[More Flowering Trees!]

Red Twig Dogwood Shrub

Gurney's Seed and Nursery®

Noted for Its Bright Red Bark

A landscape accent for every season! Red Twig Dogwood Shrub starts spring with creamy ivory flowers, summer with red-tinted foliage and, finally, sports bright red bark in winter. Grows 5-8 feet tall. Potted plants.

Flowering shrubs are bargains in beauty. They produce a profusion of flowers and foliage- a feast for our senses- and seem equally attractive to birds, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Even when they’re not in bloom, many add interest to the landscape. Shrubs grow fast, last nearly forever and require a minimum care. Zones: 2 - 8 (-50° F.) Click here - $20 off your first order at Gurneys! [More Shrubs, Hedges & Grasses!] [Flowering Trees!]

Comments: Creamy ivory flowers in the spring and red tinged foliage in the fall. Crimson bark is a great attraction in the winter. Prune in summer if needed. Wet site tolerant.

Wisteria Flowering Tree

Gurney's Seed and Nursery®

Honey-Sweet Fragrance

Foot-long clusters of delicately hued, fragrant lavender flowers cascade from sweeping branches in summertime--the honey-sweet scent perfumes the air on quiet evenings. Velvety green seed pods follow the flowers, cling well into winter. Grows 6-8 feet tall.Prepruned to tree form (prune regularly or it will revert back). 2- to 3-foot trees.

Zones: 5 - 10 (-10° F.) Click here - $20 off your first order at Gurneys! [Flowering Trees!]

Royal Star Magnolia

Springhill Nursery®

A fragrant first breath of spring! Popular for early blooming, Royal Star Magnolia produces silky pale pink buds that burst into magnificent double 3-5" white stars. Cut branches are great in arrangements.

Trouble-free Japanese native, grows 8-20' tall. Space 10-15' apart.

Shipped in 4" pot.

Magnolia stellata 'Royal Star'

Zone 4 to 9 Click here - $20 off your first order at Spring Hill Nursery! [More Flowering Trees!]

Popular for its early season bloom time. Add color to your landscape after a long winter's nap. Silky buds open up to reveal large white star-shaped blooms. Trouble free. [On Sale...]

American Redbud Tree

Springhill Nursery®

One of the loveliest small trees! Gorgeous pale pink to rosy- purple blooms appear in early spring followed by glossy, heat-shaped leaves. American Redbud grows 20-30’ tall and 25-30’ across with a beautiful umbrellalike form suitable for single specimen or group plantings.

3-4' trees. Cercis Canadensis Click here - $20 off your first order at Spring Hill Nursery!

[More Flowering Trees!]

Golden Chain Tree

Springhill Nursery®

One of the few yellow-flowering trees for gardens! Small 20 to 30'-tall gem is decked with golden pendants of perfumed, wisteria like blooms in late spring. Golden Chain Tree is graceful near entryways and in lawns. Space 20-25' apart.

2-3' trees. Deer tend to avoid.

Laburnum x watereri

Zone 4 to 8

One of the very few yellow-flowering trees for the spring garden, in blossom, small tree is completely covered with flowers. Click here - $20 off your first order at Spring Hill Nursery! [More Flowering Trees!] [On Sale...]