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Golden Shadows® Pagoda Dogwood Cornus alternifolia

Flower Season
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Fall
Mature Size
12' 12'
Height: 10' - 12'
Spread: 10' - 12'
  • Details

    Features

    Elegant structure + unbelievable color = one perfect little tree!

    Golden Shadows® dogwood is the ideal candidate to grace a spot of honor in your landscape. This pagoda dogwood naturally grows with a distinctive horizontal branching habit, which gives it a strong but not overwhelming presence. Its elegant structure is complemented by a cloak of gloriously variegated leaves - bright yellow with a splotch of emerald green in the center, taking on pink tones on the new growth in cool weather. Spring sees the plant graced with lacy white blooms. Beneath all this beauty lies a tough North American native that can grow in many difficult conditions; Golden Shadows pagoda dogwood is especially noteworthy for its ability to thrive in light shade, its bright foliage bringing color and beauty to otherwise dim sites.

    Top reasons to grow Golden Shadows pagoda dogwood:

    - Strongly horizontal branching gives it year-round presence and beauty.

    - Variegated foliage is colorful and and bright.

    - Thrives in light shade.

    Foliage Interest
    Resists: 
    Deer
    Native to North America

    Characteristics

    Plant Type: 
    Tree
    Shrub Type: 
    Deciduous
    Height Category: 
    Tall
    Garden Height: 
    120 - 144 Inches
    Spacing: 
    120 - 144 Inches
    Spread: 
    120 - 144 Inches
    Flower Colors: 
    Green
    Flower Colors: 
    White
    Flower Colors: 
    Yellow
    Foliage Colors: 
    Green
    Foliage Colors: 
    Yellow
    Foliage Shade: 
    Variegated yellow and green
    Habit: 
    Upright
    Container Role: 
    Thriller

    Plant Needs

    Light Requirement: 
    Part Shade to Shade

    The optimum amount of sun or shade each plant needs to thrive: Full Sun (6+ hours), Part Sun (4-6 hours), Full Shade (up to 4 hours).

    Maintenance Category: 
    Easy
    Blooms On: 
    Old Wood
    Bloom Time: 
    Spring
    Hardiness Zones: 
    3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
    Water Category: 
    Average
    Uses: 
    Landscape
    Uses: 
    Specimen or Focal Point
    Uses Notes: 

    Thanks to its dramatic structure and color, Golden Shadows dogwood makes a peerless specimen planting. 

    Maintenance Notes: 

    No pruning is necessary. 

    Plant in lightly shaded sites; the hotter the climate, the more shade it will require.

    Like most variegated plants, occasional reversions to the original green form may occur. These should be pruned out as needed.

     

    Golden Shadows® Cornus alternifolia 'Wstackman' USPP 11,287
  • 7 Reviews

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    1
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    Browse reviews from people who have grown this plant.
    • This is the only thing I’ve ever gotten from proven winners that was a total fail. I ordered two. One was planted in a shady location, the other was in part shade, both died quickly. We did get hit with unexpected heat a couple of days later, so maybe that was it, (they were watered, so I’m not sure). I will try them again at some point…I want them to work out, they’re beautiful!!

      Jessann
      , Virginia
      , United States
      , 39 weeks ago
    • 5 years in dappled woodland. 3 gallon plant. Beautiful but zero additional growth. Stagnant. Too pretty to give up, planting in a new woodland spot that will get a hit of direct sun, hoping for happiness.

      Cindy Vogel
      , Indiana
      , United States
      , 1 year ago
    • When I received the trees late last Summer and saw how tiny they were (8 inches tall), I had little hope they would survive our Minnesota winters. As expected, we had some -30 degree low temperatures, but despite the harsh conditions, they have tripled in size and are thriving! We have heavy clay soil that's been amended over the years with compost, and the trees were planted in 3 locations: one in dappled shade all day, one in morning sun only and one that gets off and on sun from about 1pm until sunset. All have experienced similar growth and are branching nicely. I couldn't be more pleased! Take a chance on these little guys. They are a gorgeous accent that'll brighten your shady garden.

      Mary Ruud
      , Minnesota
      , United States
      , 2 years ago
    • I bought 3 of these when they came out in quarts at a PW distributor 5yrs ago. They were each planted in a different spot- full sun, part sun and morning sun and have all taken a couple years to take off- the one in full sun is now over 6' x 7' and an avid grower that puts out over 1' of growth every time we have a rainy week. The part-sun one took years to take off, but has grown 4' this year alone because of the non-stop rains, it is 4' x 6'. The one in morning sun grew well and fast to 5' x 4' but it wasn't full and didn't have the symmetric branching you expect from this tree, so it was moved to another spot with the same amount of light but better drainage and it has grown a lot since we moved it, shooting buds on the sides as the others do. Beautiful specimens, a bit fussy about their spot (I have wet and heavy clay, mountain, windy, zone 6a) but if they're left alone to adapt to their spot they will grow from year 3-5 and will not stop. If I had the room, I'd buy a few more.

      deca
      , Virginia
      , United States
      , 4 years ago
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