One of the newest developments in dogwoods is a cross between Cornus florida and Cornus kousa. These new hybrids are the Rutgers hybrids, or Cornus x rutgersensis. They flower after the common dogwood and before the Asian dogwood. They are highly resistant to pests and disease. Choices to consider for those in zones 5b and 6a are 'Constellation' and 'Stellar Pink'.
Finally, those of us who live in zones 5a through 6a have Cornus kousa as a choice of dogwood to grow. Some to consider include: 'Lustgarden Weeping', a lovely pendulous dogwood; 'Satomi', also known as 'Rosabella', with deep pink bracts; and 'Wolf Eye', a selection with white bracts displayed against leaves that have white margins. The kousas develop fruits that resemble large raspberries, which birds and other wildlife relish. All the dogwoods mentioned develop red to reddish-purple fall color.
There are often conflicts in different catalogs regarding hardiness listings, which I found to be particularly true with magnolias. I am trying to include the most conservative estimates that I have found. Magnolias that do well in most of our region include, but are not limited to the following varieties:
Magnolia lilliflora, 'O'Neill', a multi-stemmed tree or shrub that grows to 12 feet tall. The flowers are formed like a lily, and they are deep reddish-purple, through zone 5b.
Magnolia stellata, 'Centennial' a pink-white or blush-white magnolia with many outer tepals, or petals. This tree reaches about 30 feet tall, and is hardy into zone 4.
'Woodsman' is a cross between M. acuminata and M. lilliflora. Its coloration is unique among magnolias. Its chocolate-burgundy buds open to flowers shaded light green, purple, and rose. The colors all compliment each other marvelously. It will well into zone 5, possibly into 4b.
And now, for some unusual magnolias for our region...
There has been recent development in many new yellow flowered magnolias. Some of the more popular choices are 'Elizabeth', a cup-flowered magnolia and 'Butterflies', a tree that tops out at about 25 feet, and displays many tepals, or petals. I am trying a variety called 'Gold Cup' this year, which has cupped shaped blooms and wrinkled foliage. These are hardy into zone 5.
Choose the location for your tree with care. Look for sun to filtered shade for most of the flowering trees. Avoid windy, exposed locations. In the winter, these sites can promote sunscald to tender young bark. South and west locations tend to warm up early in the spring, and avoiding them helps to avoid the premature emergence of trees from dormancy. An east or north location is a better choice. Providing wind protection in the form of closed fencing and other trees is also good. Many of these trees do better as understory trees. For example, dogwoods look and perform better when grown in the company of other trees.
