Full Answer
Is Dogwood a hardwood or a softwood?
Dogwood is an extremely dense hardwood. When properly seasoned, this wood rates a 2150 on the Janka hardness scale, which measures units of force. By comparison, white oak is rated 1360 and eastern white pine is 380. Unseasoned dogwood is considerably less hard and dense, rating around 1410 on the Janka scale.
What does a dogwood look like?
To identify dogwood trees, look for their hard, grayish bark that looks like alligator skin. Then, see if the leaves are elongated oval shapes with smooth edges and a pointed tip. Also, pronounced curved veins are very distinguishable on dogwood leaves. Types of Flowering Dogwood Trees (With Pictures)
What does a dogwood tree symbolize?
This tree means:
- Rebirth and resurrection, particularly through the story of Jesus Christ
- Christianity as a whole
- Pity and regret over a specific decision or a situation that was beyond your control
- Durability and reliability
- Strength and resilience
- Purity, especially in a religious or spiritual sense
- A signal of affection to someone who may not reciprocate it
Is Dogwood good for woodworking?
Workability: Despite it’s high density and interlocked grain, Dogwood tends to produce decent results with both hand and machine tools, though it can have a blunting effect on cutters. Glues, turns, and finishes well. Odor: No characteristic odor.
What is the flowering dogwood?
Dogwood. Flowering dogwood ( Cornus florida) bloom. The flowering dogwood ( Cornus florida) is the species most people think of when the word dogwood is mentioned. Although it is considered one of the favorite trees in the south, there are two other species, kousa dogwood ( Cornus kousa) and Cornelian cherry dogwood ( Cornus mas), ...
What are the ornamental features of dogwood?
Ornamental Features: Each species brings its own value to the landscape. The “flowers” of the flowering dogwood and kousa dogwood are not actually flowers, but bracts, which are modified leaves that look like petals. The true flowers are clustered in the center of these bracts. The “flowers” may be white, pink or yellow.
How tall do dogwoods get?
The height ranges from 15 to 20 feet tall (flowering dogwood in the sun) to 40 feet tall (flowering dogwood in the shade). The spread may be even greater than the height.
What type of soil do dogwoods like?
Dogwoods prefer moist, well-drained, acidic (5.5 to 6.0 pH) soil that is high in organic matter. Add organic matter, such as compost or ground composted pine bark, to the planting bed and till into the soil before planting.
Why are dogwoods prone to root rot?
Dogwoods are prone to root rot ( Phytophthora species) if planted in poorly drained sites or if frequent flooding occurs.
When do kousa dogwoods appear?
Ornamental Features: The “flowers” (bracts) of the kousa dogwood appear after leaves emerge in spring, several weeks
When do dogwoods bloom?
They may bloom in late winter/early spring before leaves appear (flowering and Cornelian cherry dogwoods), or later in spring after leaves emerge (kousa dogwood). Fruit may be scarlet red (flowering and Cornelian cherry dogwoods) or pinkish red (kousa dogwood). Flowering dogwood ( Cornus florida) in bloom in April.
What is a dogwood tree?
Dogwoods, Cornus florida, were first an understory tree that thrived on the edges of hardwood forests. They live in the semi-shady, acid soil conditions that distinguish such an environment. The trees have developed such an appeal that they have now become a popular landscape tree.
What did the Dogwood people believe?
The Dogwood People believed in doing good deeds for others for the simple acts of kindness, not for personal gain, or to have someone indebted to you. Dogwoods are a popular landscape tree and thrive in conditions that are similar to their woodland habitat.
What tree did Jesus use for the cross?
This tree is also the subject of an old Christian legend. According to the old stories, the Dogwood tree used to grow large and tall. It was compared in size and shape to an oak tree. At the time of the Crucifixion, it was said that wood from the Dogwood tree was selected to fashion the cross. This distressed and saddened the Dogwood tree so much that Jesus took pity on the tree, and promised that Dogwood trees will never again grow large enough to use the wood for a cross. It will be twisted and bent. The four petals of the flowers will form the shape of a cross, with two long petals and two short ones. In the center of each petal edge, a rusty nail mark will be cut, the bracts in the center will resemble a crown of thorns, with blood-red berries the result. As lovely as the story is, Dogwood trees did not grow in Palestine, and the legend can be traced to the early 20 th century.
What tree did Jesus take pity on?
This distressed and saddened the Dogwood tree so much that Jesus took pity on the tree, and promised that Dogwood trees will never again grow large enough to use the wood for a cross. It will be twisted and bent. The four petals of the flowers will form the shape of a cross, with two long petals and two short ones.
What did the Cherokee believe about the Dogwoods?
The Cherokee also had a legend concerning the Dogwoods. They believed that a tiny race of people lived in the forest and watched over them. They were called The Dogwood People. They taught them how to live in harmony with the land, and watched over the elderly and the infants.
Where is the Dogwood Trail in Kentucky?
There is a Lighted Dogwood Trail in the nearby town of Paducah, Kentucky every year. Since 1964, people have been encouraged to plant Dogwoods as a landscape tree. Each Spring, thousands enjoy the Dogwoods by night, as each home-owner spotlights their Dogwood trees, azaleas, and spring flowers in the evening.
Where are dogwood trees planted?
They are commonly planted in rural yards and on urban lawns . The cheerful blossoms proclaim each year that Winter is over, and Spring is really here. It is beloved by many, and the fact that Missouri has voted the Dogwood their State Tree, and North Carolina their State Flower, says volumes.
What is a dogwood tree?
The Dogwood Tree is a majestic ornamental, well adapted to life in the United States. As long as you offer the tree plenty of water and sunshine, like most plants, the Dogwood will do just fine. There are over 50 species within the Cornus, or Dogwood, genus. These species vary wildly, from shrubs to deciduous temperate trees and evergreens. One of the most common species, and the one about which you’ve most likely heard, is the Flowering Dogwood. The state tree of Virginia, the Flowering Dogwood has conspicuous white to light yellow flowers that offer magnificent blooms in spring. Other species can be quite different; for example, the Blackfruit Cornel, native to California, has small yellow-green blooms and a fruit which turns black when ripe, thus the name. Whatever your desire, there is a Dogwood to suit your needs.
What is the relationship between dogwood and property?
Choosing the right Dogwood for your property means considering what your location has to offer and for what you are looking. A symbiotic relationship, where both your Dogwood benefits from necessary water, sun, and nutrient supplies and you benefit from the best height, shade, and beauty of the Dogwood, is in everybody’s interests.
What causes dogwood leaves to turn grey?
Dogwood powdery mildew has also become a recent major threat to Dogwoods. The mildew, which often causes a whitish-gray powdery film on leaves that are also contorted, is easily treatable with fungicides, such as horticulture oil.
Why do dogswoods have anthracnose?
Dogwood anthracnose is a disease caused by the fungus Discula destructiva. For this reason it can be beneficial to plant your Dogwood in late spring, when warm temperatures will kill the fungus, which thrives in cooler, wet weather. Dogwood powdery mildew has also become a recent major threat to Dogwoods.
Why is dogwood anthracnose important?
Dogwood anthracnose is a disease caused by the fungus Discula destructiva.
What type of soil do dogwoods like?
Soil – Plant in well-drained, moist soil that is not overly wet. Although adaptable to many soil types, Dogwoods prefer slightly acidic loam.
Is a dogwood tree picky?
The Dogwood Tree is picky. Like a small child, Dogwoods may not adjust well to variances in water and nutrient matter. Also like a small child, Dogwoods can be a bit smelly, offering a strong, though not altogether unpleasant, fragrance. The best similarity between a small child and the tree, though?
Why Is It Called Dogwood Winter?
If you want to know when the last frost of the year is likely to be, you can simply look up the date in your Farmers’ Almanac (or see the average frost dates online ). Our ancestors, though, didn’t have calendars to consult. Instead, they relied on the signs of nature around them.
When do dogwood trees bloom?
Instead, they relied on the signs of nature around them. A Dogwood Winter usually falls during late April or early May, right around the time the dogwood trees start blooming in many regions.
What are the little winters called?
The “little winters” in the middle of spring are called variously Dogwood Winter, Blackberry Winter, Locust Winter, Whippoorwill Winter, Redbud Winter, and a few other regional variations .
What color are the leaves on a kousa dogwood?
The bracts come in a star-shaped pattern of four leaves in various colors of white, pinks, and hybridized reds. The kousa will bloom several weeks after Cornus Florida, so having the two close will provide a spring spectacle ...
How tall is a Kousa Dogwood?
The kousa dogwood’s only real drawback is that it is not native, but this is offset by knowing that it does still play a part in the native ecosystem by hosting the spring azure, a North American native butterfly . 15-30 ft. tall and wide.
Can you plant a Cornus kousa dogwood?
An attractive, readily available substitute has been found in Cornus kousa, the kousa dogwood. Planting the Cornus kousa can do wonders for a landscape design by adding four-season interest, extending the bloom time in the spring, and attracting plenty of wildlife, all while having a form and traits that add to its versatility.
Is a dogwood a flowering tree?
There are very few flowering understory trees as attractive as a dogwood tree. Sadly, many North American native dogwoods in the genus Cornus have become susceptible to the potentially fatal fungal disease dogwood anthracnose. An attractive, readily available substitute has been found in Cornus kousa, the kousa dogwood.
Is Kousa dogwood poisonous?
Kousa dogwoods are not toxic. The berries are edible and can be used in jams, wines, and sauces. The taste is similar to a persimmon. If using the berry, removing the grainy seeds with a fine mesh is usually done as the texture is not enjoyable.
