Variegated Dogwood Care

Variegated Trees

• A variegated dogwood with white flowers is the Cherokee Daybreak with the bright green and white summer leaves. It grows at a moderate rate and reaches heights of 25 feet and a spread of 20 feet. The foliage on the Cherokee Daybreak is pale green in the spring and pink or red in the autumn. The First Lady has tricolored leaves of pale and dark green and yellow in the summer. It also has white blooms and grows slowly to a height and spread of 25 feet. The autumn leaves of the First Lady are a deep maroon and spring foliage is pale green. Another interesting variegated dogwood is the Cherokee Sunset. It has reddish-purple flowers and bright green leaves with yellow margins in the summer months. During the spring and autumn, the foliage is reddish-purple. The Welchii has colorful foliage in the summer as well, with a touch of pink on the green and white leaves. The blooms of the Welchii are white. It suffers from leaf scorch if planted in areas with full sun.

Planting Care

• Choose a site that has soil with a pH of 5.2 to 6.0. Variegated dogwoods thrive in well-drained soils high in organic matter. Plant the dogwood in an area with partial shade preferably with a north or east exposure. Variegated dogwoods can grow in full sun but this leaves them susceptible to the dogwood borer. If planting in full sun, keep the tree watered well to prevent the soil from drying out. You can plant container-grown variegated dogwoods year-round, but balled and burlapped trees fare better if you plant them when they are dormant -- November to March. Plant the young trees at the same depth as in the container.

Tree Maintenance

• Water young variegated dogwood trees once or twice a week during the spring and autumn months. Soak the soil enough to provide the root ball and beyond with plenty of moisture. This is particularly important during the first two years after transplanting. After the first year of growth, fertilize the variegated dogwoods twice a year. Use 3 oz. of nitrogen fertilizer per every 100 square feet in February and mid-June. Add 3 or 4 inches of pine bark, pine straw or dead leaves as mulch around the variegated dogwood tree. This prevents damage from mowers, helps retain moisture and reduces weeds.

Pruning

• Proper pruning keeps the variegated dogwood tree attractive and healthy. Remove dead, diseased or damaged limbs as soon as you spot them. Other branches that require pruning are those that cross over or crowd other limbs. Prune away any suckers growing at the base of the tree, as they use unnecessary energy to grow. Get rid of any weak-looking twigs throughout the tree to provide ventilation and help the dogwood receive sunlight. Prune any large branches during the dormant season for the best results.

Diseases

• Inspect your variegated dogwood on a regular basis for signs of disease. Anthracnose results in large tan blotches or small purple-bordered leaf spots around the leaf margins. Ascochyta Blight causes irregular-shaped spots with a gray or tan center and a dark border. Powdery mildew shows up as a white growth on leaves, young shoots and buds. Fungicidal sprays containing propiconazole, cmancozeb plus thiophanate methylhlorothalonil are effective in treating and preventing these diseases. Spray the trees with the fungicide during the leaf expansion in the spring and continue to use it every 10 to 14 days for three or four treatments.