A dogwood for all seasons - Garden: Northern California Guide

Sunset, Sept, 2002 by Lauren Bonar Swezey

* Dogwoods make attractive spring-flowering trees for Northern California gardens. The species most commonly planted is Eastern dogwood (Cornus florida). And the statuesque Pacific or Western dogwood (C. nuttallii)--a species native to Northern California and the Pacific Northwest--is well-known too; it's taller and bears larger blooms than many varieties of Eastern dogwood. Much less familiar, but one of the showiest of all dogwoods, is C. n. 'Goldspot', a variety of Pacific dogwood with shapely, gold-splashed leaves and 4- to 5-inch-wide, dazzling white bracts.

"The tree is very adaptable and a must for every garden," says Ricardo Monte of Wildwood Farm Nursery & Sculpture Garden in Kenwood, California. Monte's 25-year-old tree is 12 feet tall and as wide. It thrives even when temperatures soar to 110[degrees] (when watered regularly) and blooms twice a year--mid- to late spring and again in fall, when it produces the heaviest display. The leaves turn brilliant rust orange in late fall, even in mild climates. 'Goldspot' is very slow growing, but it blooms at a young age.

Dogwoods are available from Wildwood Farm Nursery (888/833-4181 or www.wildwoodmaples.com). A 2-year-old tree in a 2-gallon can costs $50; an 8- to 10-year-old tree in a 15-gallon can costs $250 (shipping not included). -- L. B. S