Cornus capitata
I ’ve yet to meet a dogwood I do n’t like , but evergreen dogwood tree ( genus Cornus capitata ) have a special lieu in my heart .
These courtly trees have leaf that persists class - round , plus splendid blossom in the spring stick to by edible fruit . The evergreen plant dogwood tree rack up all the correct notes for me .
Evergreen dogwoods can grow up to 50 metrical unit improbable and wide , or even wider , though there are tame hybrids uncommitted in unlike embodiment and size .
C. capitatablooms later in the season than aboriginal dogwood tree , and the species is hardy only in Zones 8 and 9 , though some subspecies are hardier .
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Whether you ’re looking for a tree to punctuate your garden , need an ornamental that produces edible fruits , or you need a cunning bush that will add long - lasting flowers to the landscape , C. capitatacan do it all .
Ourguide to growing dogwoodscovers general care of species in theCornusgenus . This guide zero in on the evergreen plant metal money .
There ’s a spate to know and love about this plant , so here ’s what we ’ll cover :
What You’ll Learn
Quick Look
How to develop
Cultivars to pick out
Pruning
multiplication
Pests and Disease
Evergreen dogwoods originate in the Himalayas in China , India , Pakistan , Nepal , and Bhutan .
They are also commonly make out as Bentham ’s cornel , Himalayan blossom dogwood , and Himalayan hemangioma simplex - tree , and were formerly classified asBenthamidia capitata .
The elliptic or lanceolate , leathery leaves are dark green on top , and grayish - greens with a fuzzy coating made up of flattened hairs on the underside . They can be up to five in long .
Though you see it less often than you would with deciduous Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , the bark is pretty , too . It ’s obscure , almost blackish - gray .
All the untried shoot are track in pubescent hair .
Common name(s):Evergreen dogwood , Bentham ’s cornel , Himalayan strawberry mark - tree
Plant type : Evergreen tree or bush
Hardiness ( USDA Zone):6 - 9 ( depending on sort )
aboriginal to : Bhutan , China , India , Nepal , Pakistan
Bloom time / season : Spring flowers , pin yield
Exposure : Full to part sun
Soil type : Organically - rch , well debilitate
grunge pH:5.5 - 7.0 , slimly acid to neutral
meter to maturity:10 old age
Mature size:20 - 5- foot wide x 20 - 50 foot high-pitched ( depending on mixed bag )
Best uses : Bird garden , comestible , naturalized arena , shrub , specimen , pigeonholing , woodland garden
Taxonomy
society : Cornales
Family : Cornaceae
Genus : Cornus
Species : Capitata
Though it ’s evergreen , that does n’t stand for you ’re afford up fab dip foliage as the leaves normally grow a jolly purplish - red come autumn .
Of of course , part of what we bang best about most cornel are the flowers . In the eccentric ofC. capitata , they blossom in the other summertime with blank , yellow , or pale green bract .
After the blooms slice , they ’re abide by by pink , strawberry - like edible fruits .
The flavor of the yield ranges from sweet and fruity like a mango to downright bland .
I recollect they ’re a lot like persimmon tree in that you have to allow them get nice and ripe for the best flavor .
After you remove the seeds , you could eat them fresh or utilize them in sugary sweet or as an interesting addition to savoury dishes like fish or pork barrel .
The pretty white flowers are in reality colorful bracts , which are change leaves .
If you look closely at the heart of the four to six bracts , you ’ll see a cluster of dozens of tiny flower in a hemispherical the great unwashed .
When the flowers fleet , this mass becomes a minor green glob that finally mature into the golfball - sized , purple - red berry - comparable fruit .
The blossom tend to peak in June and July and the berries are at their best in October or November . When they are ripe , the birdie will get impose in swarm .
Evergreen dogwoods are idealistic for growing as a focal point or specimen tree , but smaller cultivar mold well in groupings .
They ’re also idealistic in woodland , Japanese , and English garden . If you ’re examine to create a naturalized area or a bird - friendly garden , this species should be top of your listing .
Since the yield is edible , they ’re perfect for turn in food forests and edible ornamental garden .
When evergreen dogwoods are felicitous , they ’ll flower extravagantly . When they ’re not , they wo n’t blossom well . That ’s your hint to try and figure out what ’s going on .
Typically , the cause is either temperatures that are too hot or too cold , or not enough piddle .
In the right conditions , evergreen plant dogwoods can grow up to three feet per year , but most grow a chip slower than that .
Let ’s have a look at their cultural demand :
Climate
Even though these trees are sturdy in geographical zone 8 and 9 , they do n’t typically do well in the heat and humidity of the south .
evergreen plant dogwoods crop well as shelterbelt as they are n’t susceptible to wind damage . They ’re also tolerant of salty wind coming in off the sea , so you’re able to even grow them in coastal country .
While usually evergreen , the trees might drop their leaves during the winter in the cold end of their hardiness reach .
If you live in such an sphere , try growing your evergreen plant dogwood against a southern - facing brick or cementum rampart , which create a microclimate and will reflect the sunlight ’s heating system during the winter and keep the tree just a bit warm .
The leaves that modify color will typically drop in the springiness .
Light
Plant your evergreen dogwood tree in full sun or partial Dominicus . In hot climate , subtlety in the afternoon is a requirement .
Soil
You should also look for a spot with organically - rich , well - draining soil . Neutral to slimly acidic is best , though they ’ll abide a little alkalinity . On the pH plate , drive for 5.5 to 7.0 .
annul planting evergreen dogwoods in wakeless cadaver or extremely sandy soil .
Water
The ground should outride systematically moist or just the top inch or two be allowed to dry out .
You ’ll need to pay up special care during the heating plant of summer to keep the soil from drying out .
Fertilizing
Do n’t prey young evergreen plant dogwoods at all . They should have all they need from the soil and we do n’t want to advance them to grow too rapidly .
After the tree has been in the ground for a year or two , test your territory . You might retrieve that your soil has everything it needs to keep your plants happy .
If the grime test reveals specific deficiencies , find an appropriate plant food .
Use it according to the manufacturer ’s directions , or feed in the spring as the flowers bud out and again in the summer after flowering .
If you opt to skip the soil test , feed in the spring and summer with a mathematical product devise for tree diagram . One of my favorites is Down to Earth Tree and Shrub .
It ’s made from feathering meal , fish ivory , kelp repast , soybean repast , and rock phosphate with the right NPK proportion of 4 - 2 - 4 for young trees .
Down to Earth Tree and Shrub
It also hold mycorrhizal fungi , which helps source develop . you’re able to find oneself Down to Earth Tree and Shrub in five- or 25 - pound packagesat Arbico Organics .
There are n’t many evergreen dogwood cultivar out there and just a few race , but for those exterior of Zones 8 and 9 , it ’s definitely deserving watch for them since they ’re all hardier than the species .
Chinese
C. capitatasubsp.angustatagrows to about half the sizing of the species as a large shrub or pocket-size tree diagram .
It top out at about 20 feet tall and wide . It can be a bit more floriferous than the species , but besides the size and validity , it ’s fairly similar in all other way of life .
It ’s hardy in Zones 7 and up , though you may keep it in 6b if you plant it against a south - confront brick wall .
Happenstance
‘ Happenstance ’ is an telling bloomer that is hardy in Zones 6 to 9 .
In Zone 6 , it might act as a semi - evergreen , but regardless of the Zone it will bloom like a pipe dream .
It ’s the perfect size for a small garden or even a container , since it transcend out at about 20 substructure , though it take decades to get there .
Mt. Emei
C. capitatasubsp.emeiensis(sometimes calledC. omeiensis ) is slightly hardy than the species , growing in Zones 7 to 9 .
The blossom are cream - colourize , highlight against leaves that issue as copper before turn unripened .
It ’s very similar to the species , so if you live in a colder region and long for your own evergreen dogwood tree , look for this one .
Mountain Moon
This is the most popular evergreen plant dogwood tree cultivar out there and the one you ’ll find at more stores .
That ’s because it ’s much more cold - kind than the mintage . Plus , it preserve a nice size for most gardens , grow up to 25 foot magniloquent and about 15 groundwork wide-cut in Zones 5 to 8 .
The flowers are also larger than the specie , the bract reaching up to six inches in diameter .
pair with their bright white coloring , you could well imagine them shining shiny like a Himalayan full moon .
The blooms can last throughout belated natural spring and almost to midsummer .
Yoko
‘ Yoko ’ is a hard to happen but extremely intrepid cultivar , growing up to 20 feet tall .
It thrives in Zones 6 to 9 without any hassle .
You do n’t have to prune your evergreen dogwood unless a branch break or you mark sign of disease .
Otherwise , find free to exit it to its own machine . If you really need to get in there and give it some shape , it responds well to pruning .
Prune back to the nearest branch or body wherever you want to slim the area out or take back some length . Do n’t apply any sealer to the cut sphere . The Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree will heal itself .
The fruit produce seeds that you could use to pass around Modern evergreen dogwood .
you may also take cutting from existing specimen . Let ’s mouth about seeds , first :
From Seed
If you ’d like to start this plant from seed , that ’s certainly an option . It will take a while before the tree diagram matures and you ca n’t grow cultivars or cross from seed .
Well , you could , but they probably wo n’t grow true .
you’re able to purchase seeds , but it ’s merriment to try harvesting your own . The seeds are on the inside of the berry . There ’s usually one per yield but in some case there can be multiple .
When the fruit are ripe , they throw away to the ground and generally they ’ll be apprehend by animals pretty quickly .
So if you want to harvest seeds , the better matter to do is shake up the tree and pick up those that fall .
As a fishy apart , I have a rabbit that has made its domicile in my backyard who we have named Mr. Hops .
One time when I was shaking my dogwood , he came bounce out to grab some of the bounty before realise I was there and hightailing it back to his burrow .
So , yeah . Your local wildlife loves the berry .
When you have some ripe fruit , open up them up and pull out the seminal fluid . There will be some mush attach . The easiest way to get rid of this is to toss the seeds into a bowlful of lukewarm H2O .
have them soak overnight and then rub the seeds in a colander to remove the sleep of the pulp .
Next you could either lay them out on a cooky sheet in a nerveless , protected region out of direct sunlight and throw off the tray once a twenty-four hours to let them dry , or you could sow them in good order off .
If you sow in the drop , put them in the terra firma about a quarter of an inch deep and point a footling screenland or other material over the ground to protect the seed from snort .
you may also sow in the bound , but to do this you ’ll need to cold - stratify the seeds in the icebox for eight weeks .
The seeds should be put in moist sphagnum moss in a pocketbook or container and then range in the refrigerator . It helps to denounce the date that you put the seeds into social stratification .
When you ’re ready to seed , put the seeds in the ground and keep the soil moist . Within a month , you should see some growth beginning to emerge .
You might need to put a picayune wire batting cage around the seedling to protect it from athirst critters .
From Cuttings
Most cornel species propagate well by softwood or semi - hardwood thinning .
To do this , direct outdoors during the leaping or early summertime and cut down the last off a branch .
Leave it in the growing container until the pin and then implant your cutting in the undercoat a few weeks before the first predicted frost date .
Transplanting
you could implant your evergreen cornel in the spring or fall . Prepare the ground by dig out out a hole that is twice as wide and deep as the growing container .
work out a ripe amount of well - rot compost or manure into the removed territory .
sate in the kettle of fish leave a space about the sizing of the container . transfer the tree from the container and loosen up the roots a little .
Set the plant in the hollow and backfill around it with some more of that removed dirt . Do n’t bury the plant any deeply than it was originally .
Water the soil well . It will probably settle a little and you ’ll require to add a bit more soil .
Managing Pests and Disease
cornel anthracnosehas devastated dogwood trees in some areas . But evergreen plant dogwoods appear to be resistant to this dreadful disease .
If you ’re dreaming of a dogwood and you know thatDisculaanthracnose has been an issue in your area , try an evergreen plant .
You ’ll in all likelihood have more problems with herbivore than louse and disease , so permit ’s cover those , first .
Herbivores
new trees are vulnerable to feed byrabbitsanddeer , but senior trees are n’t in any danger .
cervid might pick a fruit or unseasoned folio during the wintertime , but the trees are n’t a primary target .
Just put a piffling fence or cage around immature plants and they ’ll be fine .
Insects
Unless your dogwood is stressed by issues like prolonged drought , overwatering , or too much refinement , pests wo n’t be a problem .
While borer , midges , sawfly , and scale can import calamity for someCornusspecies , this one is largely unbothered .
Still , you might want to acquaint yourself withthese dogwood blighter , just in case you ever encounter them .
Disease
The vast majority of gardener will never have any disease issues with an evergreen dogwood .
However , be aware that leafage spot make byPhytophthora ramorumwas found in nursery trees in California in 2023 .
That likely means that this disease will continue to spread in the future . But for now , it ’s super rare .
Leaf berth causes brownish , irregularly forge spots on the leaf that can be up to a third of an inch in diameter .
If you see these symptoms , contact your local university filename extension office and report the disease or lend in a sample . Many state are concerned in track the movement of this disease .
Theoretically , all dogwoods are susceptible to anthracnose , but evergreen dogwoods are immune .
They are rarely troubled by theDiscula destructivafungus that can massacre otherCornusspecies . The disease show up as brown or tan spots with reddened or violet border on the leaves and flowers , followed by sunken canker in the wood .
If your tree diagram were to be one of the rare ones that becomes symptomatic , you could ordinarily get on top of the disease if you act cursorily . clip off symptomatic branches and spray liberally with liquid copper color , but it ’s a tough disease to bring around .
Other than that , so long as you did n’t plant yours in a swampland or something , your tree diagram should n’t be dependent to any diseases .
Ourguide to cornel diseasesmakes sobering reading if you are feeling pessimistic .
A Dogwood With Evergreen Elegance
Dogwoods are some of my favorite trees . I do n’t opine a garden is complete without at least one eccentric .
And while I adore the more popularflowering cornel ( C. florida ) , it just wo n’t work in an orbit of the landscape where I need some evergreen colouration .
ButC. capitatagives me all the beauty of other flowering dogwoods without losing its leafage in the downslope .
And formore entropy about acquire dogwoodsin your landscape painting , have a read of these guide next :
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Kristine Lofgren
