Swida racemosa – Native Gardens of Blue Hill

Etymology

Swida is the Czech name for dogwood; Racemosa refers to the raceme-like flower clusters of the plant.

Native Habitat

Floodplains, forests, meadows and fields, and man-made or disturbed habitats.

Garden Uses

Gray dogwood is a small-to-medium sized deciduous shrub with multi-season interest. Its spreading habit makes it great for naturalizing, hedge/screening, and massing, and it's also a good choice for rain gardens. It provides food and habitat for wildlife. It will spread to form thickets if root suckers are not removed, and can control erosion near ponds or embankments.

Overview

Gray dogwood will form dense thickets over time and is an excellent wildlife plant, offering plenty of cover for nesting birds. Round-topped clusters of creamy white flowers are followed by white fruits that stand out against yellow stems. This shrub is perfect for naturalizing or planting along fencerows. Gray dogwood thrives in a variety of soils and readily sends up suckers, creating multi-stemmed stands that serve as a natural hedge. The flowers attract butterflies and the distinctive white fruits draw in birds. While it may reach heights of more than 10 feet, 6 feet or less is more typical and can be easily pruned to the ground to induce regeneration.

Spread

The above-ground spread of gray dogwood ranges from about 3 to 8 feet. The spreading rhizomatous root system readily suckers, often creating large colonies.

Leaves and Stems

Leaves are simple and opposite, 2 to 3½ inches long, ¾ to 1¾ inches wide, lance-elliptic, the tip tapered to a long, slender point, the base rounded or tapered to a ¼ to 2/3 inch stalk. The upper surface is dark green with 3 or 4 lateral veins per side, the lower surface is pale green to nearly white. Both surfaces have sparse, short, stiff, appressed hairs. Edges are smooth and often a bit wavy. The leaves have fewer lateral veins than other dogwood species. Foliage turns red to purple in the fall. Twigs are yellow to orange-brown, smooth but for a few dark, raised lenticels (pores) the first year that give it a warty texture. By the second or third year the bark turns a dull but smooth brownish gray. Older bark lower on the lower stems can be rough and scaly. Stems are multiple from the ground, mostly straight and nearly simple with dense branching above.

Flowers

Dome shaped clusters of small creamy white flowers are 1½ to 2½ inches wide and about as high. Individual flowers are ¼ inch across with four lance-elliptic petals, the sepals are minute or absent. The four stamens are about as long as the petals, spreading to ascending around the single green tipped style at center.

Fruit/Seed

Fruit is a round, berry-like drupe, about ¼ inch diameter, white, often with a barely perceptible blueish flush. Fruit stands out against vibrant red pedicels (stems) holding the fruit clusters.

Wildlife Associates

This plant attracts a variety of insects, including bees and butterflies, with its rich pollen and nectar. Its fruits are a valuable food source for many songbirds and are also enjoyed by black bears, raccoons, squirrels, and chipmunks. In dense thickets, the shrub provides shelter for birds and small mammals, as well as nesting sites for birds. There are no serious insect or disease problems. The dogwood bud gall occurs on this species but is usually not a significant problem. Dogwood sawfly larvae, if abundant, can defoliate a garden plant, but will rarely kill it.