Cornus alternifolia

Plant a pagoda!

Picturesque horizontal branching makes this small tree appear to belong in a Japanese garden, but it's a native of the Midwest. It is an easy plant to identify in the landscape because of its branching habit; it is also usually multistemmed. Small yellowish-white flowers are borne in late May and early June. A bluish-black fruit ripens in July and August. The pagoda dogwood has four seasons of interest in a garden -- with late-spring flowers, clean green leaves, good fall color and strong form in the winter landscape. Use it as a specimen tree or in a shrub border or naturalistic garden.