Fact Sheet ST-187 November 1993 Cornus florida ‘First Lady’ ‘First Lady’ Flowering Dogwood1 Edward F. Gilman and Dennis G. Watson2 INTRODUCTION The state tree of Virginia, Flowering Dogwood grows 20 to 35 feet tall and spreads 25 to 30 feet (Fig. 1). This cultivar has tri-colored leaves with yellow and light green markings. Leaves turn mostly green during the summer in the southern part of its range. The tree can be trained with one central trunk or as a picturesque multi-trunked tree. The flowers consist of four bracts which subtend the small head of yellow flowers. The bracts are white and have a fall color of red to pink. The bright red fruits are often eaten by birds. Fall color is more vivid in USDA hardiness zones 5 to 8a. Branches on the lower half of the crown grow horizontally, those in the upper half are more upright. In time, this can lend a strikingly horizontal impact to the landscape, particularly if some branches are thinned to open up the crown. Lower branches left on the trunk will droop to the ground, creating a wonderful landscape feature. GENERAL INFORMATION Scientific name: Cornus florida ‘First Lady’ Pronunciation: KOR-nus FLOR-ih-duh Common name(s): ‘First Lady’ Flowering Dogwood Family: Cornaceae USDA hardiness zones: 6 through 9A (Fig. 2) Origin: native to North America Uses: wide tree lawns (>6 feet wide); medium-sized Figure 1. Middle-aged ‘First Lady’ Flowering Dogwood. DESCRIPTION Height: 20 to 30 feet Spread: 25 to 30 feet Crown uniformity: symmetrical canopy with a tree lawns (4-6 feet wide); near a deck or patio; regular (or smooth) outline, and individuals have more screen; shade tree; narrow tree lawns (3-4 feet wide); specimen or less identical crown forms Availability: somewhat available, may have to go out Crown shape: round of the region to find the tree Crown density: moderate 1. This document is adapted from Fact Sheet ST-187, a series of the Environmental Horticulture Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: November 1993. 2. Edward F. Gilman, associate professor, Environmental Horticulture Department; Dennis G. Watson, associate professor, Agricultural Engineering Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611. Cornus florida ‘First Lady’ -- ‘First Lady’ Flowering Dogwood Page 2 Figure 2. Shaded area represents potential planting range. Growth rate: slow Texture: medium Foliage Leaf arrangement: opposite/subopposite (Fig. 3) Leaf type: simple Leaf margin: entire Leaf shape: ovate Leaf venation: bowed; pinnate Leaf type and persistence: deciduous Leaf blade length: 4 to 8 inches; 2 to 4 inches Leaf color: variegated Fall color: red Fall characteristic: showy Flower Flower color: white Flower characteristics: spring flowering; very showy Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit shape: oval; round length: < .5 inch covering: fleshy color: red characteristics: attracts birds; no significant litter problem; persistent on the tree; showy Trunk and Branches Trunk/bark/branches: droop as the tree grows, and will require pruning for vehicular or pedestrian clearance beneath the canopy; routinely grown with, or trainable to be grown with, multiple trunks; not particularly showy; tree wants to grow with several trunks but can be trained to grow with a single trunk; no thorns Pruning requirement: needs little pruning to develop a strong structure Breakage: resistant Current year twig color: green Current year twig thickness: medium Cornus florida ‘First Lady’ -- ‘First Lady’ Flowering Dogwood Page 3 clay soil and has a moderately long life. It is not recommended in the New Orleans area and other heavy, wet soils unless it is grown on a raised bed to keep roots on the dry side. The roots will rot in soils without adequate drainage. Figure 3. Foliage of ‘First Lady’ Flowering Dogwood. Culture Light requirement: tree grows in part shade/part sun; tree grows in the shade; tree grows in full sun Soil tolerances: clay; loam; sand; slightly alkaline; acidic; well-drained Drought tolerance: moderate Aerosol salt tolerance: low Soil salt tolerance: poor Several of the cultivars listed are not readily available. Pink-flowering cultivars grow poorly in USDA hardiness zones 8 and 9. ‘Apple Blossom’ pink bracts; ‘Cherokee Chief’ - red bracts; ‘Cherokee Princess’ - white bracts; ‘Cloud 9’ - white bracts, many blooms, flowers at early age; ‘Fastigiata’ upright growth while young, spreading with age; ‘Gigantea’ - bracts six inches from tip of one bract to tip of opposite bract; ‘Magnifica’ - bracts rounded, four-inch-diameter pairs of bracts; ‘Multibracteata’ double flowers; ‘New Hampshire’ - flower buds cold hardy; ‘Pendula’ - weeping or drooping branches; ‘Plena’ - double flowers; var. rubra - pink bracts; ‘Spring Song’ - bracts rose red; ‘Springtime’ - bracts white, large, blooms at an early age; ‘Sunset’ supposedly resistant to anthracnose; ‘Sweetwater Red’ - bracts red; ‘Weaver’s White’ - large white flowers, adapted to the south; ‘Welchii’ - leaves variegated with yellow and red; ‘White Cloud’ - flowers more numerous, bracts white; ‘Xanthocarpa’- fruit yellow. Pests Other Roots: surface roots are usually not a problem Winter interest: no special winter interest Outstanding tree: not particularly outstanding Invasive potential: little, if any, potential at this time Verticillium wilt susceptibility: not known to be susceptible Pest resistance: very sensitive to one or more pests or diseases which can affect tree health or aesthetics USE AND MANAGEMENT The tree is not suited for parking lot planting but can be grown in a wide street median, if provided with less than full-day sun and irrigation. Dogwood is a standard tree in many gardens where it is used by the patio for light shade, in the shrub border to add spring and fall color or as a specimen in the lawn or groundcover bed. It can be grown in sun or shade but shaded trees will be less dense, grow more quickly and taller, and have poor fall color. Trees prefer part shade (preferably in the afternoon) in the southern end of its range. Many nurseries grow the trees in full sun, but they are irrigated regularly. Flowering Dogwood prefers a deep, rich, well-drained, sandy or Aphids may be controlled by spraying them with a strong stream of water from the garden hose. Several borers will attack dogwood. Try to keep the trees healthy with regular fertilization, and irrigation during dry weather. Indications of borer problems are holes in the trunk, leaves smaller than normal, and dieback of the crown. Dogwood club gall midge causes galls at the branch tips. The leaves on affected branch tips may be distorted and the branch may fail to form a flower bud. Prune out the galls as soon as they are seen. Leaf miners cause brown blister-like mines on the undersides of leaves. The adult leaf miner skeletonizes the leaves. Scales can build up to large numbers before being detected. Horticultural oil will help control overwintering stages. Twig girdlers prune the tips of small branches. They are more of an annoyance than a serious problem unless you are a nursery operator. Cornus florida ‘First Lady’ -- ‘First Lady’ Flowering Dogwood Diseases Dogwood anthracnose may be the biggest concern with growing Flowering Dogwood. Infection is favored by cool, wet spring or fall weather. Drought and stressed trees appear to be most affected, as are those at higher elevations. Trees on the coastal plain may be much less likely to become affected. Consecutive years of infection can kill trees. Keep the tree healthy with regular irrigation in dry weather but avoid overhead irrigation. Plant the tree in an area which allows the leaves to stay as dry as possible. Consult a local pathologist for the latest in control measures. Cornus kousa is thought to be resistant to anthracnose and it can be planted in areas where anthracnose is a problem. It is a very beautiful tree. Early symptoms of dogwood canker are smaller and paler leaves than normal. Leaves on infected branches are red earlier in the fall. At first the symptoms appear only on the infected side of the tree but become more general as the canker enlarges. There is no chemical control for the disease. Avoid trunk wounds during and after planting. Crown canker is associated with wet soils and can be controlled with appropriate fungicides. Flower and leaf blight attacks fading bracts, especially during wet weather. Infected flower parts fall on the leaves spreading the infection. A large number of leaf spots attack dogwood. Clean up and dispose of infected leaves. Powdery mildew covers the leaves with a fine white coating. Leaf scorch occurs during hot, dry, windy weather. This condition looks like a disease. Scorch symptoms are drying and browning of the leaf margins, or, in more serious cases, drying and browning of the interveinal area. Page 4