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Dogwoods

Dogwoods as a group have several things going for them:

*They tolerate both a range of light and a range of moisture. Light: They will do well in full sun to about half shade. (They are a frequent shrub in the poplar understory.) In terms of moisture they prefer it wet, but will do ok in heavier soils that are only semi damp. As rule they don't do well in dry conditions nor in heavy shade. They do best in heavy soils with lots of organic matter.

*They come in a variety of bark colours, ranging from dark purple to yellow, with a few stops with cultivar labels with words like 'crimson' and 'scarlet' in them. In summer you don't notice the bark, but a hedge of bright red bark against a snowdrift along your driveway adds a note of cheer to a winter scene.

*Their fruit is of interest to birds. I don't think it's poisonous, but by all accounts the flavour leaves something to be desired.

*As they age they get rather ratty looking. No elaborate measures needed. Wait until they go dormant in the fall. Cut them down 4" off the ground. By mid summer they will look fine.

*Deer and moose love them, but unless ripped out of the ground, the dogwoods will recover from this without a problem. Generally it will encourage them to get bushy.

They do need moist conditions. In one of my shelterbelts, planted for wildlife habitat, I planted groups of native dogwood along my north fence. The further from the water and swale bottoms, the worse they've done.