Cornus florida disease susceptibility, affect on near plants

Hi, all. I am interested in planting a flowering dogwood, a Cornus florida Cherokee Princess or Cherokee Chief probably or something very similar. I had been convinced not to plant one though, because of their susceptibility to diseases like anthracnose and fungal diseases. Now I'm starting to think I just want to give one a try because I love them so much. I'm willing to take the risk of the dogwood getting these diseases, but I don't want it to "infect" the rest of my beloved garden. Does anyone know if the anthracnose and fungal leaf diseases that the dogwood gets are host specific, and thus won't infect nearby plants and trees of different species? It will be planted near Japanese maples, hydrangea, azaleas, hostas. I do also have a Cornus Alternifolia 'Golden Shadows' and a Cornus alba 'Elegantissima' in my backyard too, which I assume would be more likely to be infected if the Cornus Florida also gets infected. I also am aware of the much better disease resistance of Cornus Kousa varieties, but it's the branching pattern and form of the Cornus Florida (combined with the flowering) that I so adore. Thanks for any info or opinions.

Post a Reply to this Thread

Please or sign up to post.
BACK TO TOP