Pink Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida rubra)

Small, deciduous North American tree
Description: Showy light pink flowers give a magnificent display for several weeks in mid spring
Habit: Reaches 20 to 30 feet high and wide
Culture: Prefers sun to part shade and average soils
Hardiness: USDA Zones 6 through 9

Cornus florida is an understory tree, native to eastern North America, which was introduced to American gardens by 1731. Philadelphia botanist and nurseryman John Bartram sold Cornus florida in 1783 and Thomas Jefferson included "Dog-wood" on a list of trees in 1771. Jefferson also made several shipments of seed to his Parisian friend, Madame de Tessé. In an 1805 letter to Mme de Tessé, Jefferson noted “we have a variety of [Cornus florida] with a flesh coloured blossom, but it is so rare that I have seen it in but one place on my road from [Washington] to Monticello.” The pink or flesh colored form occurs naturally in the wild and was the subject of a painting by the naturalist Mark Catesby in his early 18^th-century Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands.

Arrives in a 2 gallon pot.