Quackin Grass Nursery

Cornus florida (Clark County, IL; ex: Will Forster) - The iconic Flowering Dogwood, a handsome domed small tree to 20 feet, possibly more. White flowers consist of 4 showy bracts connected to the central axis with the nub of sexual parts protruding at the center. Leaves are opposite, simple and ovate, green above and glaucous below. Foliage changes to wine and maroon tones in autumn and with bright glossy red fruits studding the overall autumn show is aesthetically notable. The gray-brown bark becomes increasingly flaked, alligator skin-like on mature plants. Our first offering(s) is this basic species from wild specimens, seed collected by Will Forster from a population in Clark County, IL. Down the road we will continue to propagate via cuttings. When I was a child every May I would delight to see white and occasional pink-flowered wild trees roadside when looking out the car windows in the deciduous woods of eastern Connecticut. And then a wicked leaf and stem anthracnose found its way here and did the dark work of killing off entire populations such that now this fine small tree seldom seen in the woodlands of New England nor much of the mid-Atlantic region. However, garden and landscape specimens with adequate moisture planted in good soil fare well. When younger trees are provided extra water during drought the tender loving care gets them through. Older established trees withstand droughty conditions better - no surprise there. But don't cheat Cornus florida: plant them in organic soil that will retain moisture between rains and in at least one half day of sunlight. Seed grown or cutting grown.