| The State of Virginia has adapted the dogwood | | | | spring and the flowering lasts 2 to 3 weeks. Oval |
| flowering tree as its State tree, and many cities in | | | | berries of bright red are formed following the blooms |
| America have named themselves 'The Dogwood | | | | and persist on the trees into fall and winter after |
| City.' Atlanta, Georgia holds a spring festival every | | | | leaves are shed, and until they are eaten by wildlife |
| April to coincide with the flowering of the of the | | | | and birds. In the fall the dogwood trees are covered |
| dogwood trees in Atlanta, Georgia. The Dogwood | | | | in brilliant red leaves that change to purple. The fallen |
| Festival has continued for 70 years, successfully | | | | dogwood leaves are very fragile and usually easily |
| attracting visitors for events such as outdoor musical | | | | deteriorate without raking. Flowering dogwood trees |
| extravaganzas in Piedmont Park and the attraction of | | | | will grow well underneath oak tree shade as well as |
| many artists to display and sell to those visitors who | | | | under pine trees, but the dogwood tree remarkably |
| wish to buy pottery, sculpture, oil paintings, and | | | | will grow well in full sun. Dogwood trees are well |
| photographs. | | | | adapted to stress and are very tolerant of dry |
| Flowering dogwood trees, Cornus florida, were | | | | weather. Dogwood trees are tolerant of cold |
| discovered in the South by William Bartram in 1773; | | | | weather, and thrive in USDA zones 5 through 9. |
| these trees were beautifully described in his | | | | Every landscape gardener appreciates the spring |
| exploratory book, Travels (page 399). Near Mobile, | | | | blooms of the white flowering dogwood trees as a |
| Alabama. Bartram encountered a grove of dogwood | | | | background companion tree for flowering redbud |
| trees that aggressively covered an area 9 miles long. | | | | trees or in a combination of flowering azalea shrubs in |
| The dogwood trees were growing so thick that | | | | colors of red, pink, purple, or white. |
| sunlight was practically excluded, and almost all other | | | | Dogwood trees can be propagated by growing from |
| plant life was excluded except for an occasional | | | | the seed or by rooting the cutting, but the best |
| white flowering Magnolia grandiflora. The land on | | | | dogwood cultivars are grown from grafted trees. |
| which the white flowering dogwood tree grew was | | | | The Cloud Nine, flowering, white dogwood tree |
| level soil that was loose with a humid black organic | | | | produces very large (hand-size) blooms, especially in |
| mould on the surface with dogwood roots growing | | | | the juvenile stage. The Weaver's Select, white, |
| into a stiff yellowish clay. The limbs of the flowering | | | | flowering dogwood tree is grafted and can produce a |
| dogwood trees were interlocking and spread | | | | flower 6 inches wide. |
| horizontally at a tree height of 12 feet. The vast | | | | The dogwood tree has been rumored to have been |
| interlocking limbs of the dogwood trees covered the | | | | the wood from which the crucifixion cross of Jesus |
| entire area as a shade tree that cooled the camping | | | | Christ was made in the year 33 AD. This rumor is |
| area used by William Bartram. After exploring for | | | | ridiculous in several respects: first, there is not Biblical |
| another seventy miles, Bartram wrote "spacious | | | | record of dogwood trees in the Scriptures of the Old |
| groves of this fine flowering tree, which must, in the | | | | Testament Bible or the New Testament. Most plant |
| spring season, when covered with blossoms, present | | | | references in the Bible are very vague except for a |
| a most pleasing scene; when at the same time a | | | | few references to the date palm tree, olive tree, |
| variety of other sweet shrubs display their beauty. | | | | pomegranate trees, fig tree, and grape vines. The |
| The white flowering dogwood is a native tree to the | | | | identity of those plants and trees is obvious, because |
| forests of America and has been exported | | | | of their fruits that are produced, but accurate plant |
| worldwide as a seedling dogwood and as a grafted | | | | identity could not be done easily until Carl Linnaeus, a |
| white dogwood also flowering in pink and red. The | | | | Swedish physician, suggested rules on naming plants |
| pink flowering dogwood is available to buy as a seed | | | | in the early 1700's. |
| grown tree, but the most desirable, stable, | | | | There are many species of dogwood trees and |
| predictable pink dogwood trees are nursery grafted | | | | shrubs, but it is unlikely that any of the Mideastern |
| trees. Red flowering dogwood trees are not available | | | | species of dogwood trees grew trunks large enough |
| as seedling trees, but as grafted cultivars, such as | | | | to shape into a crucifixion cross. The wood of the |
| the Cherokee Chief, red flowering dogwood tree. | | | | dogwood tree is so hard and dense that nails driven |
| The dogwood tree, Cornus florida, is very adaptable | | | | into the wood would split the wood. That tree |
| in America, ranging from Massachusetts to Florida, | | | | definitely could not have been the North American |
| and the tree is generally grown as an understory | | | | dogwood tree, Cornus florida, since that tree did not |
| tree 12-15 feet tall, although some old specimens of | | | | grow in Israel at the time of Jesus Christ. |
| 40 feet tall are recorded. The flowering dogwood | | | | Perhaps the reason for the rumor is that the |
| tree is perfect for planting and growing in a small | | | | dogwood tree was the wood of the crucifixion cross |
| garden or in large parks and as big landscape | | | | is the fact that the four white bracts (flower) are |
| specimen trees. Dogwood has the unusual quality of | | | | shaped like a cross. This resemblance of a white |
| growing well when planted beneath pine trees, where | | | | cross-shaped flower occurs in innumerable species of |
| only a few other shrubs such as redbud trees, azalea | | | | flowers of trees and, of course, should not be given |
| plants, and camellia shrubs can compete successfully, | | | | any weight of evidence of the dogwood tree wood |
| because of the dense root pine tree competition | | | | being the substance of crucifixions by the Jewish |
| near the surface of the ground. | | | | High Priest and the Roman rulers. |
| The flowering of dogwood trees begins in early | | | | |