Cherokee Sunset Dogwood

Does anyone have any experience with this tree?

We are looking for a yellow/green variegated dogwood that we saw on a garden tour that no one could identify. They were mostly yellow with green centers and about 15 to 20' feet tall. Very yellow trees that really stood out.

I've been researching variegated dogwoods on-line and find only a few meet the description. They were not in bloom so i do not know if they had pink flowers like CS.

Others I've also seen are samzan, sunsplash, gold star, and golden nugget which also looked close to the suspect tree.

Any input would be appreciated.

I kinda thought this Cornus florida Rainbow is kinda yellow.

hi growin - yes i saw that one as well, although i read it had some problems with black spot. Is this your tree?

Have you perused this list as it excludes any new cultivars. Good luck. I think you might want to run this by Vib Valley or call the Arnold Arboretum. Patti

http://joa.isa-arbor.com/request.asp?JournalID=1&ArticleID=1989&Type=2

how about this Cornus F. Hohman golden?

http://books.google.com/books?id=tOQaF5UHFT4C&pg=PA112&dq=HOHMAN%27S+GOLDEN&ei=9pszSuCTCZOCygSzr9SICQ

http://www.utextension.utk.edu/publications/pbfiles/PB1670.pdf

It could be a 'First Lady' Dogwood they were introduced by Boyd Nursery Co. about 1968. they had a creamy white bloom.

Otis

The Dogwood in my image is at UBC Botanical Garden. You should call the garden where you saw it and ask.

bbrook you sure do get around don't you:)
Thx otis

I looked at all the info you provided bbrook it was very helpful especially that last link which i have saved.

I looked closely at both hohman and first lady dw's and do not believe these to be the trees we saw as the yellow's appear to be a bit subdued while on the trees we saw it really jumped out.

still leaning towards cherokee sunset right now - now is there anyone out there that has one who would like to comment?

thx

I actually managed to kill three of these trees. I loved it so much I kept buying it over again only to lose it. You're a zone warmer than I am so you might have better luck. I won't waste any more money on it. Be sure to buy it from a nursery that offers a good guarantee and keep your receipt handy.

loon thanks - how cold does it get there in winter? Are you sure it was the temp r could it be disease?

I bought those trees when I was still living in south east Michigan in zone 5. I do not know what killed them. I thought at one point it might have been a borer and I treated it for that but i just don't know. They were so healthy when I bought them and I planted them correctly in very good soil. I babied those trees because I really loved them. I thought it was a beautiful tree. My soil was rich. Maybe they prefer less rich soil. I don't know. I remember the one started dying off at the top of the tree and I kept trimming away the dead branches. I paid a small fortune for those trees and I finally gave up trying to grow it. I am kind of a stubborn person and that's why I tried it three times before I gave up on it. :)

I hope you have better luck. If it were me, I'd spray the darn thing as if it's a fruit tree for disease and insects just to keep it from getting anything. I had a huge pink dogwood in the same yard that grew with no problems at all. Same soil. Same condiitions. I just figured it may be more hardy in a warmer zone.

Hardiness may not be the issue. It could be quality of stock, combined with transplant shock (depending on your source of the plant and how it was grown before you got it).

I'd recommend getting good quality bare root plants, where you can see for yourself what is being put into the ground and correcting deficiencies then rather than wondering why it died. Bad roots, poor roots, and bad/poor root conformation cause more unknown deaths in woody plants than most folks realize. It's a big problem.

Thus, I'd recommend wha source this plant that way. Since bbrookrd called me out on this, I'll weigh in (and add: where's the #$%&(@(& pictures?).

Cornus florida 'Cherokee Sunset' could sure be it. It is NOT Cornus kousa 'Gold Star', as that clone has yellow centers with green edges.

Did you pay any attention to fruit on the plant? That would really make it easy to answer, as Kousa Dogwood fruit are large rounded, bumpy and hang from a longer pedicel, while Flowering Dogwood are much smaller smoother and are pretty much in sessile clusters.

If pressed, I could go down to Bernheim Arboretum where they have been trialing 70 +/- Kousa Dogwood selections since about 1997, and see if there are any yellow ones. Their collection of Flowering Dogwood is much less complete, but I think there are some variegated forms.

bbrookrd:

I have that University of Tennessee publication, and Willard Witte is a hoot.

thx loon - i'm not too different from you as far as zones go - i think my better choice would be to call and find out what trees it was that i saw before investing - besides i can not find one available anywhere

thx for the info VV - no camera's where allowed on the tour so that is the problem and i know it was not gold star and it is green yellow and not yellow green - did not see any blooms or fruit on the tree - actually three trees - two where in one yard.

i will call the tour organizers tomorrow and see what i can do about finding out what they where

i will say i hope it is the cherokee sunset as a bright yellow variegated with pink brackets looks beautiful.

golden nugget was the other i originally thought it may be.

thx bbrook!

I have a Cherokee Sunset performing beautifully in my 6a yard.
Foliage is beautifully variegated, nice fall colors, doing fine.
It's about 5 yrs old. I worry about anthracnose, but so far looks vigorous.

I could use some interesting cornus. I want some Cornus Mas as they bloom so early in Nantucket that they would pair nicely with the narcissus. I like that C. kousa wolf eyes that I saw in Wha's yard recently. Pati

thx - weerobin that is encouraging.

bbrook we know where you can get one:)

Shall I bring a shovel or can I borrow yours when I get to your house? Patti

don't you be thinking of digging up my wolf's eye dw - you need to go through some more coat pockets and find forgotten cash:)

or wait till the fall when the 25% off sales start

Wha, I was thinking of you digging it up for me, such the gentleman that I know you are.

Funny you should mention found cash. DH just found an envelope in the glove box with a nice stash of Canadian bills in it. Enough to fund our trip this summer while up at the cottage. Windfall. It was in there for many years. We go every year at least once so who knows which year we came home with cash not spent. Patti

yes that is too funny - i have a desk draw with bills and change from all over the world from biz travel - i think there are some canuck $$ in there.

well the tree has been id'd by one of the people who ran the garden tour - the owners did not know and gave the name of the landscape architect who she contacted. the architect was also nice enough to pass along the name and phone number of the nursery where it was purchased. it was the cherokee sunset dogwood. seems to do well here based on what i saw so it is worth a try.

thanks to all who responded to this thread.