Western Dogwood (Cornus occidentalis)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −23.3 °C
Cultivation
An easily grown plant, it succeeds in any soil of good or moderate fertility. Allied to C. stolonifera and considered to be part of that species by some botanists. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus.
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame or in an outdoors seedbed if there is sufficient seed. Prick out the seedlings of cold-frame sown seeds into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow the plants on for their first winter in a greenhouse, planting out in the spring after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe side shoots, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, taken with a heel if possible, autumn in a cold frame. High percentage. Layering of new growth in June/July. Takes 9 months.
Edible uses
Fruit - raw or cooked.
Medicinal uses
The bitter-tasting bark is astringent, ophthalmic and tonic.
Habitat
Moist soils, especially by streams.
Native range
Western N. America.