Gray dogwood is useful as a low-growing wild hedge which provides summer food and some cover for small animals and birds. Its flowers, which bloom in June or July, are white and loosely clustered, and its white fruit, which appears in September and October, is set off by bright red fruit-stalks.
Gray dogwood has a range of adaptability equaled by few other shrubs, and it tolerates many climatic conditions. Tolerance to shade is considered intermediate. It is not well adapted to coastal plain conditions.
Contributed by: USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program
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Gray Dogwood
Scientific name: Cornus racemosa
Seedling size: 24-36 inches
Height: 6-10 feet
Growth Rate: Moderate
Soil Type: Mesic to dry
Salt sensitive: Very
Sun: Full sun to part shade.
Michigan Native: Yes.