Gray dogwood

Grays are a group of colors that span from white to black that are a representation of the different shades of gray in the world. The color gray has become synonymous with our modern world that is so diverse and multi-cultural, yet also so monotonous and mundane.he gray dogwood is a forage plant for white-tailed deer. The berries appear before most other dogwoods, making it popular with the squirrels and over 100 bird species that eat the fruit. It forms a dense thicket, providing cover and nesting sites for The gray dogwood is native to the eastern and midwestern United States and southern Canada. Cornus is the Latin name for dogwood, and racemosa refers to the type of compound flower arrangement (raceme). Another common name is the panicled dogwood. Gray dogwood is a very adaptable, native shrub that is excellent for naturalizing, especially in difficult sites, such as pond and stream banks. Although its suckering and spreading habit makes it impractical for formal plantings, it can be incorporated into the shrub border and useful as a mass planting. Creamy white clusters of flowers in May are followed by white berries in late summer that are quickly eaten by birds.

Dogwood

The dogwoods are distinguished from other flowering shrubs by the clusters of small, 4-petaled white flowers and opposite (except for 1 species) leaves that are toothless and have prominent, arching, lateral veins. Gray Dogwood is an upland forest species, however its does not tolerate too much shade, preferring areas with thin canopies or openings and does very well along roads that have cut through the forest. While it may reach heights of more than 10 feet, 6 feet or less is more typical. Its flowers, leaves and fruit may appear similar to Red-osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea), but the bark of that species, at least in part, is a deep red year round and leaves have 5 or 6 veins per side. As its name indicates, Gray Dogwood has gray bark, and its leaves have 3 or 4 veins per side.

Some references have separated the dogwoods out of the Cornus genus into Swida, making Gray Dogwood Swida racemosa, but this is not universally accepted and not currently recognized in Minnesota. Dogwoods are either trees or shrubs. Gray dogwood is a native shrub. Dogwoods, even native species, are often affected by many pests and diseases. Not the case with the gray dogwood; it’s a healthy variety that resists the diseases common to many dogwoods. The gray dogwood’s numerous small, creamy white flowers are less showy than the ones of the flowering dogwood, but it compensates by being relatively disease-free and highly adaptable to many difficult conditions, such as dry, wet, or poor soil. (Source: www.thespruce.com)