red-barked dogwood
Cornus alba
RHS Plants for Pollinators
USDA zones3 to 7
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Size8 to 10 feet tall8 to 10 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Habit
- Arching
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- Creamy white
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Red-barked dogwood (Cornus alba) is a shrub for borders, hedges, winter interest, and rain gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full or part sun and dry to wet soil of most types. Bees, butterflies, and birds visit the creamy white flowers. Deer and rabbits tend to pass it by. It grows fast into an arching shape, so give it room.
Pairs well with Midwinter Fire common dogwood, Astilbe, and Sedge.
Native range
Europe, Central Asia, Asia, Altay, and 14 more places. See all 18
Europe, Central Asia, Asia, Altay, Amur, Buryatiya, Chita, Hainan, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Magadan, Manchuria, Primorye, Qinghai, Sakhalin, Tuva, and Yakutiya.