Hoyt Arboretum, Portland, Oregon, USA

Common name: wedding cake tree, variegted giant dogwood

Family: Cornaceae

Distribution: Garden Origin

IUCN Red list: Not evaluated

Hardiness: Zone 5b -15 to -10 F

Life form: Deciduous tree

Usage: Ornamental flowering tree

Comments: Variegated giant dogwood is a rounded, medium-sized, deciduous tree that will grow somewhat rapidly to 35-40’ tall with distinctive horizontal branching in tiers. Small, creamy-white flowers appear in flattened clusters cymes to 3-7” wide in late spring. Although individual flowers are small, a tree in full bloom is quite showy. Flowers give way to clusters of bluish-black fruits that mature in late summer. Fruits are attractive to birds. Alternate, ovate dark green leaves 3-6” long are glaucous beneath. Fall color is variable but usually not showy, ranging from at best a respectable red-purple to a more typical pale green and yellow. This tree and C. alternifolia are the only dogwoods that feature alternate leaves.
Best grown in acidic, organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade.