Pagoda Dogwood Information
Cornus alternifolia trees have a graceful, horizontal branching habit that resulted in the common name “pagoda dogwood.” The pagoda cultivar Golden Shadows (Cornus alternifolia ‘Golden Shadows’) is a light and lively little dogwood. Like the species tree, Golden Shadows is deciduous, losing its leaves in winter. It is also small, rarely growing over 12 feet (4 m.) tall. The branches spread wide, making the mature tree almost as wide as it is tall. Growing Golden Shadows dogwood in your garden adds a splash of lemon-lime color. The cultivar’s heart-shaped leaves are large and brilliantly colored with wide, canary yellow margins blending dramatically into solid green centers. It also produces clusters of lacy white blossoms in spring. In time, these turn into blue-black berries. Wild birds appreciate these berries.
Growing Golden Shadows Dogwood
If you are wondering how to grow a Golden Shadows dogwood, start with checking your climate. Pagoda Golden Shadows dogwood thrives in USDA plant hardiness zones 3 through 8. It doesn’t do well in hot regions. As with most dogwood varieties, which are understory trees in the wild, Golden Shadows grows best in a location with partial shade. Planting the tree in a section of your backyard with filtered shade will minimize Golden Shadows dogwood care. Direct sun can burn the cultivar’s beautiful leaves. In terms of soil, you’ll do best growing Golden Shadows dogwood in moist, well-draining soil. You want the root area of the tree to stay cool at all times of the day. The tree prefers acidic soil. If you plant them appropriately, growing Golden Shadows dogwood is a breeze. Very little maintenance is required. Pruning is not required, but if you want to keep this small tree even smaller, go ahead and trim in winter.
