Cornus florida 'SWEETWATER'

Sweetwater is a beautiful variety of flowering dogwood that has been in the market for decades which proves its qualities. It bears profusion of large, very showy, rich pink bracts, surrounding a small head of true flowers. They are followed by oval, bright red, glossy berries in autumn, if pollinated. The fruit is not edible but probably not poisonous, still we discourage everyone from eating them owing to high contents of stomach-upsetting substances.

After flowering emerge broadly ovate, deciduous, mid green leaves. They turn all shades of red in autumn, especially if grown in acid soil. This species is also called American dogwood because it comes from eastern parts of North America. In the wild it grows to almost 6m but garden-cultivated plants are commonly smaller. It grows slowly and makes horizontal, tiered branches. Pruning is not recommended.

This shrub does not like stress of any kind. Find it a nice spot now so you do not have to transplant it later, it might suffer from diseases thereafter. It needs moist but well-drained, acid soil, rich in organic material. It is fully hardy to -27°C and can withstand temporary drops to -29°C (USDA zone 5).

Last update 23-02-2013