Six months with Dogwood — what I actually learned

I brought Dogwood home six months ago with high hopes and almost no knowledge. The first challenge was understanding keeping a mulch-free collar immediately around the trunk — something I hadn't expected to matter so much. Once I got that right, the whole thing settled down.

I grow it in a specimen on a lawn as a traditional statement tree and the position has been ideal. significant impact on the microclimate and character of a garden is what keeps drawing me back to it. blossom or leaf burst in spring creating dramatic transformation was the moment that made me glad I persisted through the learning curve. One honest warning: verticillium wilt causing branch dieback on susceptible species caught me off guard in month two. Stay on top of it from the start.