Scarlet Fire® Flowering Dogwood

Scarlet Fire® Flowering Dogwood (Cornus × 'Rutpink' Scarlet Fire®)
Height: 25 feet Spread: 20 feet Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade Hardiness Zone: 5a Brand: Rutgers University
 
Description: The Scarlet Fire® Flowering Dogwood is a heavily flowering selection known for its long-lasting deep rose-pink blooms that cover the tree in spring. Its foliage turns a rich red in the fall, providing vibrant seasonal color. This vigorous grower with clean, disease-resistant foliage is an excellent choice for a front yard accent tree.
 
Ornamental Features:
Flowers: Stunning clusters of rose flowers with pink overtones and scarlet edges held atop the branches from mid-spring to early summer.
Foliage: Attractive green foliage with rose veins. The glossy, pointy leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding red in the fall.
Fruits: Produces pink berries with red hints from early to mid-fall. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on lawns or walkways and may require occasional clean-up.
Bark: Peeling gray bark and antique red branches are extremely showy, adding significant winter interest.
 
Landscape Attributes:
Deciduous tree with an upright spreading habit of growth.
Average texture that blends into the landscape but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.
Relatively low-maintenance tree; should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers.
Good choice for attracting birds to your yard.
No significant negative characteristics.
 
Recommended Uses:
Accent
Shade
 
Planting & Growing:
Grows to about 25 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet.
Low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, making it unsuitable for planting under power lines.
Grows at a slow rate and can live for 40 years or more under ideal conditions.
Thrives in full sun to partial shade.
Prefers average to evenly moist conditions but will not tolerate standing water. May require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat.
Very fussy about soil conditions; must have rich, acidic soils to ensure success. Subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils.
Somewhat tolerant of urban pollution; will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location.
Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates.
This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.