Images Depict Mature Plants
Cherokee Chief Dogwood
Cornus florida 'Cherokee Chief'
You'll love the large, bright-red blossoms of this native dogwood! The Chief reaches 25' or more in sun or shade. The 3-inch showy, star-shaped flowers appear in early spring. The leaves turn brilliant red in the fall, highlighting the scarlet berries
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Cherokee Chief Dogwoods for Sale Online
The Cherokee Chief Red Flowering Dogwood (Cornus Florida Cherokee) is one of the first surefire signs that spring has officially sprung. With early spring blooms that boast a rosy-red coloring and white centers, your Dogwood tree will make a splash in the garden this planting season.
In addition to the specimen trees' stunning spring blooms, the Cherokee Chief also has beautiful foliage that changes color with the seasons. The leaves of the Cherokee Chief Dogwood emerge bright green in spring and make a stunning contrast with the plant's ruby-red blooms. As temperatures drop, the Cherokee's leaves turn an outstanding brick red color in the fall. It produces red berries in early fall.
Handling large amounts of snow and ice, the Cherokee Chief Dogwood Trees make a standout addition to a winter landscape. The deciduous trees are extremely cold hardy and can handle the frigid winter elements better than most flowering trees. The stunning ornamental trees also produce bright red berries in the winter.
The ideal conditions for the Chief Dogwoods include full sun to partial shade and moderate watering. These flowering Dogwood cultivars also enjoy a moderate watering schedule; however, they are fairly drought resistant. The trees also grow best in nutrient-rich, well-drained soils.
This small, low-branched tree has an attractive branching habit, giving a graceful, layered effect that looks beautiful in any landscape. Popular for use in mass plantings and yard focal points, the Cherokee Chief is a phenomenal planting option for a wide variety of garden and landscape projects.
| Hardiness Zone: | 5-9 |
|---|---|
| Mature Height: | 20 to 25 Feet |
| Mature Width: | 20 to 25 Feet |
| Classification: | Broad leaved deciduous tree, flowering tree |
| Sunlight: | Full sun to part shade |
| Habit: | Medium branching |
| Foliage: | Green; deep red fall color |
| Flower Color: | Rosy-Red |
| Pruning Season: | No pruning needed |
| Soil Condition: | Any well drained soil |
| Water Requirements: | Water well until established |
| Uses: | Tolerates all soil types and full sun |
How to Care for Cherokee Chief Dogwood
Be sure to read our planting instructions to ensure a healthy and happy plant for years to come!
How do I fertilize Cherokee Chief Dogwood Tree?
Bio-tone starter fertilizer is a great starter fertilizer that provides plants with mycorrhizae fungus. It is a naturally occurring beneficial fungus that colonizes on the new growing roots of plants. It creates a barrier between the roots of the plant and fungus and pathogens that can cause root rot. Fertilize Cherokee Chief Dogwood Tree in early spring and again 6 to 8 weeks later to encourage denser foliage or faster growth of young trees. Native Dogwoods do prefer a slightly acidic growing environment so the use of an acidic fertilizer such as Holly-Tone by Espoma is recommended in areas of the country where the soil tends to have a less than acidic soil profile.
How do I mulch a Cherokee Chief Dogwood Tree?
We highly recommend that you mulch your Cherokee Chief Dogwood Tree with either a ground hardwood mulch or a ground cypress mulch depending on your local availability. Any type of mulch will do but cypress or hardwood mulch will be of a higher quality and provide better nutrition overall as they breakdown. Mulching helps to keep weeds away which will compete with your new investment for water and nutrients. A 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch is sufficient but remember to take care not to cover any part of the stem of the plant with mulch. It's better to leave a one inch gap of space between the mulch and the stem or trunk of the plant.
How do I water Cherokee Chief Dogwood Tree?
After planting the Cherokee Chief Dogwood Tree, give it a slow, deep watering. Most of the water you put on the plant at first will run away from the plant until the soil is soaked. A general rule of thumb is to count to 5 for every one gallon of pot size. For example a one gallon pot would be watered until you count to 5 a three gallon pot would be 15 and so on. Check the plant daily for the first week or so and then every other day there after. Water using the counting method for the first few weeks. Gator Bags can be used to help aid in this process and also provide plants with a good soaking due to the slow release of the water into the root-zone of the plant. Soaker Hoses can also be used to water when planting a long row of trees.
How do I plant a Cherokee Chief Dogwood Tree?
We suggest when planting your newly purchased Cherokee Chief Dogwood plants that you dig a hole twice as wide as the root system but not deeper. Depending on the quality of your existing soil you may need to add a locally sourced compost or topsoil to the back-fill soil. We do not recommend using straight topsoil or compost as a back-fill soil because more times than not these products will retain entirely to much moisture and will cause the root system to rot. Adding compost or topsoil will help the young feeder roots of Cornus Florida to spread through the loose, nutrient rich soil, much easier than if you used solely the existing soil which more times than not will be hard and compacted. The most common cause of plant death after transplanting is planting the new plant too deep. That is why we do not recommend planting in a hole any deeper than the soil line of the plant in the pot. A good rule is that you should still be able to see the soil the plant was grown in after back-filling the hole.
