Silver Dogwood. This has to be the aristocrat of variegated Dogwood, if not the aristocrat of variegated trees. Here in central South Carolina we are the southern extremity of the native range of the species, Cornus alternifolia, Alternate Leaf Dogwood. This cultivar this far south can be somewhat temperamental, so one must site this plant in filtered sun with good drainage and uniform moisture. I have seen so many gardens in England where this plant is the feature of the garden. It will make only a small tree of 10-15 ft. in height with the same layering of the branches as the species. In spring it is adorned with flattened cymes at the terminus of its branches, but the flowers are totally lost in the variegated foliage. These plants are on their own roots. All of the others that I would receive were grafted on Cornus nutalii, a West Coast species, that wasn't at all happy here in the Deep South. But these are far more vigorous than any grafted plant that I have ever seen. The last picture I took in a garden in England. The first photo was taken here at Nurseries Caroliniana. The middle picture shows the flowers of the species.
Zones 4-8
