PlantsShrubs & Vines

Gray Dogwood

Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa)
DouglasGoldman · CC BY-SA 4.0
Gray Dogwood in flower
In flower · (c) Quinten Wiegersma, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY

Cornus racemosa

Chicago-region native. Suited to zone 6a.

Tough gray dogwood screen

EasyShrubs & Vines
Light
Full sun–part shade
Moisture
Dry–medium
Mature size
6–10 ft
Spacing
6–10 ft
Bloom or harvest
Flowers May–Jun; white fruit late summer
How it spreads
Strong suckering
What to buy
Container or balled-and-burlapped; bare-root in early spring.
When to plant
Early Apr–May after soil thaws and drains; Sep–mid Oct for container/B&B. Bare-root: early spring.

In the design

Provide mature width; prune for access and renewal rather than forcing it into a small space.

Plants that share this spot

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Reference details
Conservatism value
1
Wetland indicator
FAC