Plant With Red Leaves in Spring and White Drooping Berries

Foliage and Bark

• Geazam gray dogwood has eye-catching deciduous foliage that starts out as a deep red hue. Upon maturing, the leaves turn to a glossy greenish-black tone for summer. During the fall, the foliage changes to a dark burgundy. The thin, elliptical-shaped foliage develops stems in an opposite arrangement. Basal shoots or suckers grow from the base of the shrub. The bark of the Geazam gray dogwood has an orange-brown color when young, after aging the bark fades into gray.

Flowers and Fruit

• Dull clusters of flowers adorn the Geazam gray dogwood during mid to late spring. The small four-petaled blossoms are 2 inches in diameter and grow in large groups, becoming more noticeable when the plant's fruits develop. In August until September, bright, showy, creamy white fruits form on pinkish-red peduncles or fruiting stalks, which stay on the plant well into winter long after the berries go out of season. The fruits are 1/4-inch wide with a pendulous habit and are a valuable food source for many types of birds.

Health and Habitat

• Geazam gray dogwood is a disease-resistant plant indigenous to eastern portions of North America along lakes, streams and woods. This adaptable plant has a hardiness of U.S. Department of Agriculture zone 5 -- average minimum temperature -20 to -10 degrees Fahrenheit -- to zone 8 -- average minimum temperature 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit -- and thrives in harsh conditions near roads, abandoned pastures and fields. A shade-tolerant plant, Geazam likes full sun to full shade with a variety of alkaline soils ranging from wet to dry.

Uses

• Cornus racemosa "Geazam" is a medium-sized shrub that ranges in height from 8 to 10 feet tall. This plant's densely compact spreading formation reaches widths of up to 4 feet in diameter. Landscapers use the Geauga gray dogwood as an ornamental plant because of the colorful foliage; this shrub also has relevance as an informal and formal hedge plant. Geazam is an ideal shrub for mass plantings since the shrub develops suckers at a rapid rate; the suckers lend a natural appearance to the plantings.