Garden Use
Flowering dogwood is considered one of the, if not the, most popular flowering trees in North America. The lovely spring flowers, summer fruit, fall foliage, and elegant winter branches give it year-long beauty. Many gardeners plant flowering dogwood in groups, along borders, or as a specimen piece in cottage or prairie/meadow gardens, as its size and beauty make it very versatile. Potential companion plants are numerous and include hostas, astilbes, and azaleas.
Symbolism
Wishes, Protection, charm, purity, renewal, the coming of spring
Interesting Facts
Today, flowering dogwood is almost exclusively a decorative plant. However, historically it had other uses: as a supposed malaria treatment, the source for red dyes and inks, and material for the production of hard objects like tool handles, mallets, and golf club heads. It was also used to treat mange in dogs, which creates another hypothesis on how it got its name.
Name Story
Flowering dogwood: The word “dogwood” is derived from “dagwood” referring to the usage of hard wood or roots in the making of sharp objects such as daggers, bamboo skewers, etc. As its flowers are remarkably beautiful as well, it is called the flowering dogwood.
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