COLUMBIA, Mo. – The flowering dogwood tree celebrates its 70th birthday as the Missouri state tree in 2025.

There is no better place to celebrate than Missouri’s Ozark woodlands from mid-April to early May when the dogwood is in bloom, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.

“Inconspicuous for most of the year, these diminutive denizens of our forests outdo their towering neighbors with spectacular exhibitions of color before most other species leaf out,” Trinklein said. In addition to the showy blooms, dogwood also has distinctive bark and form.

Trinklein refers to the dogwood tree as “nature’s little showoff” or the “candelabra of color.”

The Missouri legislature named the flowering dogwood the state tree on June 20, 1955. The state agriculture department encouraged its cultivation. It is also the state tree of Virginia and North Carolina.

Legend states that the dogwood tree was once large and sturdy and that its wood was chosen to build the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Thus, the dogwood tree’s blooms represent rebirth and renewal.

The tree’s small pink or white flowers cluster at the branch tips. Its durable, dense wood is used in tool handles and golf club heads, says the National Garden Bureau, which recently announced 2025 as the Year of the Dogwood. Native Americans used the dogwood tree to make daggers and toothbrushes.

Dogwood tree adapts to a variety of climates and soils, but it grows naturally in moist, fertile soils high in organic matter, said Trinklein. It should be treated as an understory tree that does best when it gets some shade during the hottest part of the day. With proper care, it tolerates full sun. Hardy through USDA zone 5, it does not endure wet, poorly drained soils.

Several cultivars tend to flower and adapt better to home landscapes than native types, but many gardeners still find “volunteer” seedlings to be satisfactory, said Trinklein.

White-flowered cultivars available from nurseries and garden centers include “Cloud 9,” which blooms early and heavily, and “Cherokee Princess,” which has fairly large flowers. Seedlings of native trees, sold without cultivar names, are also available. They usually are less expensive and more variable in growth and flowering pattern than named cultivars, Trinklein said.

Pink dogwoods occur naturally, but named cultivars selected for landscape use typically have more intense color. “Cherokee Chief” sports deep ruby-red bracts. “Red Beauty,” a relatively new cultivar, produces dark rosy-red bracts on a semi-dwarf tree. Several lighter pink cultivars are also available.

Cultivars selected for variegated foliage include “Cherokee Daybreak,” “Cherokee Sunset,” “Hohman’s Gold” and “Golden Nugget.”

Trinklein suggests planting dogwoods no deeper than they were grown in the nursery. Place into soil that has been loosened to a depth of 8-12 inches. This area should be two to three times the diameter of the tree’s soil ball or production container. Organic matter such as compost or peat moss can help root growth when mixed with the soil around a new tree. Adding too much organic matter, however, can create a micro-environment that the tree’s roots will not want to leave.

As with any newly planted tree, adequate water during the first two growing seasons is important for survival. Water thoroughly once or twice a week during dry periods, but avoid overwatering.

To learn more about flowering dogwood and other flowering trees suited to Missouri, see Trinklein’s publication “Selecting Landscape Plants: Flowering Trees” at https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g6805. You can also learn more about native species of dogwoods from MU’s Integrated Pest Management program at https://mizzou.us/SpringDogwood.

Photos

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2025 marks 70 years of dogwood as Missouri's state tree. The National Garden Bureau proclaimed 2025 at the Year of the Dogwood. Artwork courtesy of the National Garden Bureau.

https://flic.kr/p/2myHPwD
A dogwood tree with white bracts. Photo courtesy of Missouri State Archives.