Plant Finder

Group/Class:  Rutgers Stellar Series

Description:

An interesting hybrid adorned with lovely pink blooms and foliage that changes to a reddish purple in the fall; vigorous grower with an erect habit and overlapping branches makes it a great choice for a front yard accent. Needs wind protection.

Ornamental Features

Dogwood Tree, Stellar Pink is smothered in stunning clusters of shell pink flowers with pink bracts held atop the branches from mid to late spring. It has attractive yellow-tipped green foliage. The pointy leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding plum purple in the fall. It features an abundance of magnificent crimson berries . The peeling gray bark and antique red branches are extremely showy and add significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Dogwood Tree, Stellar Pink is a deciduous tree with a stunning habit of growth which features almost oriental horizontally-tiered branches. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This tree will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Dogwood Tree, Stellar Pink is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent

Planting & Growing

Dogwood Tree, Stellar Pink will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a high canopy with a typical clearance of 6 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. As it matures, the lower branches of this tree can be strategically removed to create a high enough canopy to support unobstructed human traffic underneath. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 80 years or more.

This tree should be grown in a location with partial shade or which is shaded from the hot afternoon sun. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant should be periodically fertilized throughout the active growing season with a specially-formulated acidic fertilizer. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Special Attributes

Dogwood trees are under story trees that grow best in an established neighborhood that provides heat and wind protection from larger trees; it also requires well-drained acidic soils and adequate precipitation. All Cornus are classified as nontoxic plants.