Gray Dogwood
Cornus racemosa
Gray dogwood is one of the most underappreciated native shrubs in the mid-Atlantic, and that's mostly because it looks its absolute best in fall. white berries on bright red pedicels against foliage turning maroon-purple. The combination is striking, and the berries go fast. Migrating warblers and thrushes time their passage to arrive when gray dogwood fruit is at its peak. It's a tough colonizing shrub that spreads by root suckers to stabilize slopes and reclaim disturbed areas. exactly the role it plays in the wild, where it moves into old fields and forest edges. Give it room to run and it becomes a self-sustaining wildlife corridor that needs nothing from you.
We grow a range of sizes and prices. Add the plant to your list, then pick your size when you visit.
Final price confirmed at pickup, depends on size and season.
- Thu, Jul 238 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Jul 248 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Jul 258 AM – 2 PM
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown gray dogwood propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 5'–10'
- Bloom
- White spring flowers; white berries on red pedicels in fall; maroon-purple fall foliage
- USDA zones
- 4–8
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside gray dogwood.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle 9–12 species that work together. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Butterfly Package
Host and nectar plants chosen to feed monarchs, swallowtails, and fritillaries spring through fall.
Hummingbird Package
Tubular-flowered natives that pull ruby-throats through your yard April through October.
S.O.S. Package
Save Our Songbirds, berry- and seed-bearing natives that feed nesting and migrating birds.