Wildlife
- Feeds birds
- Pollinators
The red fall berries are eaten by songbirds and game birds, and the spring flowers draw bees and other pollinators.
Ships bare root
Native
Mature plant shown. Yours ships dormant and bare root.
What arrives
1 dormant bare-root plant, about 2–3 ft tall
- No leaves, no pot, no soil. Roots packed moist.
- Ships in your zone's planting window.
- Leafs out about 4–8 weeks after planting.
Native tree
White Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
- Ships 2–3 ft tall
- 1 plant, bare root
- Zones 5–9
- Grows 15–30 ft
$11.95Was $14.95Save 20%
5.0 out of 5 · 3 reviewsThe quick answer
White flowering dogwood is a native small tree for USDA zones 5-9 that grows 15-30 feet tall and wide. It does best in part shade or morning sun with moist, acidic soil. Buy it for white spring blooms, red-purple fall color and red berries that feed birds. It is not grown for people to eat.
When it ships to you
Zone scheduleHow many?
plants
Free shipping on orders $75+$75
Healthy deliveryOr we replace it
Shipped dormantTimed to your zone
1-year warrantyStore credit, terms
White Flowering Dogwood plant profile
Mature size15–30 ft tall · 15–30 ft wide
Typical (15 ft)Up to 30 ft
A small tree with a low, rounded to spreading crown and distinctly layered horizontal branches.
USDA hardiness zones5–9
Sun & growth
SlowMediumFast
Best in part shade or morning sun with afternoon shade; tolerates full sun only with steady moisture.
SoilpH 5.5–6.5
4 acidic6.59 alkaline
Needs moist, well-drained, acidic soil rich in organic matter. It struggles in heavy clay, poorly drained sites and alkaline soil.
Native to the USRed to reddish purple fall color
Flowers & fruit
In spring, four white petal-like bracts surround a cluster of small yellow-green true flowers. Glossy red berries ripen in late summer and are eaten by birds but not by people.
Leaves & fall color
Red to reddish purple in fall. Deciduous oval leaves are dark green in summer and turn red to reddish purple in fall.
Pests & disease
Dogwood anthracnose, powdery mildew, cankers and dogwood borer are the main problems. Good air flow, mulch and avoiding drought stress reduce them.
Pruning
Prune lightly after flowering or in late winter to remove dead, crossing or damaged branches. Avoid wounding the trunk, which invites borers.
Bare root vs potted
Skip the garden-center markup.
Garden centers buy young plants, pot them, grow them another season and mark them up. We ship yours dormant and bare root, timed to your planting window.
Bare root, from us$11.95ships dormant
Example: 3-gal potted American hazelnut$70–$140online retail prices checked Oct 2026
A year with your White Flowering Dogwood
SPRINGWhite bracts open around small yellow-green flowers before or as leaves emerge.
SUMMERDark green layered foliage; berries form and color up.
LATE SUMMERClusters of glossy red berries ripen.
FALLLeaves turn red to reddish purple; birds strip the berries.
Questions people ask about White Flowering Dogwood
Will flowering dogwood grow in zone 4 or northern Wisconsin?
Flowering dogwood is rated hardy to zone 5, and even there it is borderline; in zone 4 the flower buds and young wood are often killed by winter cold. Plant it in a sheltered spot in zone 5 or warmer.
Does a flowering dogwood need full sun or shade?
It grows best in part shade or morning sun with afternoon shade. It tolerates full sun only where the soil stays evenly moist and mulched.
Do you need two dogwoods to get berries?
No, a single tree will flower and set some berries, but flowering dogwood is partly self-incompatible. A second flowering dogwood nearby improves the berry crop for birds.
Are flowering dogwood berries edible?
No, the red berries are bitter and are not eaten by people. They are an important food for birds.
How long until a bare-root dogwood flowers?
A young seedling usually takes several years in the ground before it blooms well. Dogwood transplants slowly, so steady watering for the first two summers matters most.
What arrives when I order a bare-root dogwood?
You receive a dormant 2-3 foot bare-root tree with no leaves and no soil or pot. Plant it promptly, keeping the roots moist until it goes in the ground.
Plant it in 4 steps
- Soak the roots in cold water overnight before planting.
- Dig twice as wide as the roots; plant at the depth it grew.
- Water, then mulch. No fertilizer the first season.
- Water regularly until it's established.
Customer Reviews
Based on 3 reviews
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S
Came with no leaves but a successful scratch test. After a few weeks, the leaves are sprouting and it's showing signs of growth.
S
The trees arrived in good shape.
S
The trees arrived in good shape.