Dogwood Trials

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by Marie Hofer, Gardening editor, HGTV.com

The poor dogwood--perennially beset with problems. Dogwood borers and leaf spots have always been regulars. But then there was dogwood anthracnose, a deadly fungus that decimated native flowering dogwoods (Cornus florida) and still threatens today. Then in the '90s came powdery mildew, an unsightly fungal infection that doesn't kill the tree but probably weakens it until another pest comes along and delivers the final blow. 'Appalachian Spring', a fairly recent introduction that's resistant to anthracnose, is susceptible to powdery mildew.

Coming relatively soon on the market are 'Appalachian Blush', 'Appalachian Mist' and 'Appalachian Snow', three new cultivars that are resistant to powdery mildew but susceptible to anthracnose. A cultivar that's resistant to both diseases is likely to be 25 to 30 years away. Anthracnose is favored in cool, moist, shady locations, while powdery mildew occurs in both sun and shade. If you can give a dogwood mostly sun, you might consider one of the new releases that are resistant to powdery mildew. The best guess has it that some or all of these cultivars will begin trickling into the market by 2006 or 2007.

  • 'Karen's Appalachian Blush'. White bracts with pink blush around the edges. Red berries, red fall color. Bracts are narrow and don't overlap.

  • 'Kay's Appalachian Mist'. Creamy-white bracts with reddish-purple clefts; red berries. Bracts are wide and overlap.

  • 'Appalachian Snow'. Snow-white bracts that overlap. Greenish-red berries.
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    Kousa dogwood
    In the meantime, however, a better option might be the Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), which is resistant to anthracnose and moderately resistant to powdery mildew. Unlike C. florida, Kousa dogwood "flowers" after the leaves appear, so you don't get that fairyland burst of white that's so welcome on an early spring day. But getting a leg up over two devastating diseases is pretty nice too.