The Best Time to Plant Dogwoods in East Tennessee

The question most commonly asked on our tree and shrub lot is what is the best time to plant trees and shrubs. For most trees and shrubs, the best time to plant is in the fall. But what is specifically the best time to plant dogwood trees in East Tennessee?

The University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension experts say you can successfully plant dogwoods in the late fall through spring. However, our friends on the Dogwood Arts Trails Committee, who have been growing dogwoods in the Knoxville and the surrounding area for decades, say the ideal time to plant dogwood trees in this region is the month of December. In fact, early December is when Dogwood Arts distributes its bareroot dogwood trees for planting in East Tennessee through their Bazillion Blooms program. This eleven-year effort has added over 11,000 dogwood trees to our community since the Bazillion Blooms program began in 2009.

Yes, planting dogwoods in December sounds a bit counterintuitive because you would think the ground would be too cold to plant dogwood trees, but that is not the case. Planting dogwoods in December makes sense because:

• When the temperature reliably cools in the fall—which in East Tennessee has become more typical in late November—most trees and shrubs go through a dormant period. This means the plants are not producing new growth which allows them to store and save energy in their root systems to be used for growth in the spring and summer.

• Planting dogwoods in the fall gives the plants a better chance to establish a good root system before the coldest part of our winter weather.

• Planting in the December means less watering and maintenance to keep the young tree. Water liberally when you first plant the tree and for a week or two after, then winter rains should mean you do not have to water again until spring.

• The survival rate for dogwoods is much better when they are planted in late fall than when they are planted in summer or winter--with early spring, of course, being the other good option for dogwood tree planting.

Here at Stanley's we sell dogwoods in containers of all sizes from small starter trees to larger trees that are taller and have larger root structures. Fortunately dogwood trees are native to Tennessee, and are more acclimated to our unpredictable East Tennessee weather.

Over the past few decades, however, dogwoods across the country were hit with a fungal disease called anthracnose. Researchers at the University of Tennessee here in Knoxville developed anthracnose-resistant dogwood hybrids, including white dogwood Cornus florida 'Appalachian Spring'. The University of Rutgers produced a disease- and pest-resistant hybrid Cornus kousa ‘Rosy Teacups‘ which is a pink dogwood with long-lasting bracts. We typically stock these and other disease- and pest-resistant dogwood trees here at Stanley’s.

If you are considering adding a dogwood to your landscape, remember that December is the perfect time to plant.

Questions? Give us a call at 865-573-9591, and one of our tree specialists we will be happy to help you.