The Dogwood tree produces both flowers and berries, but neither is exactly what it seems to be, probably why the berries are edible only to birds and small creatures. These are not actually berries at all, they're drupes, which is similar to apricot or cherry. Dogwood bark had medicinal properties as a fever eliminator, and Dogwood wood is hard, almost like aluminum, or like metal. I started planting Dogwood because it resists abrasions well, and can be used to construct both structures and implements such as weaving shuttles and even golf clubs.
I'm a very experienced Dogwood planter. I can post some very helpful tips about it, if that's what you'd like!
I grow a few with mixed success - the bushy sp. with colourful bark are more difficult to please but Cornus florida, C. x EDDIE'S WHITE WONDER and C. kousa ssp. chinensis do quite well and flower every year. C. capitata grows very well in nearby gardens and self-sows here and there. The fancy variegated - silver and gold - do not have the stamina to survive our long, hot, dry summers, even in very sheltered conditions. The extreme dryness of the air probably dehydrates the leaves to the point where the plant becomes exhausted.
Very nice, Trevor!
If you use Dogwood for your walls in your house then paint it that would look weird and funny for sure. But it wouldn't smell too well either.
