Creamy spring blooms, sturdy performance, and year-round elegance, a dogwood made to shine where conditions are less than perfect
FEATURES:
- In spring, bright green leaves with a glossy shine emerge before the blooms, providing a vivd backdrop once they do
- Four petaled, snow-white flowers emerge in mid to late spring
- The bright green foliage turns a vibrant shade of red as fall weather takes over
- Disease resistant, cold hardy, and low maintenance
- Wonderful when planted in shade gardens, along a wooded line, or as a specimen tree in the landscape
- Hand Selected, Fresh from the Grower
- Ships on our trucks because of the size of the tree - does not fit in a box
Bower & Branch Landscape Design Tip:
Build a “quiet backdrop” around it. Choose a few steady, dark greens nearby, think hollies, boxwood, or inkberry, then add one pop of seasonal color at the feet like white bulbs in spring or warm-toned perennials in summer. The tree becomes the centerpiece, and the surrounding plants act like a frame, not competition.
Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 5-9
- Mature Height: 15-25' tall
- Mature Width: 15-25' wide
- Exposure: Full Sun/Part Shade
- Spacing: 20-25' apart
Aurora® Rutgers Dogwood
Bower & Branch Trees and Plants
Cornus x 'Rutban' AURORA
Regular priceSave 25% on All Tree Collections with code: SPRINGBEST25 at checkout.
Plant with Confidence when choosing Big & Tall Trees and Hedges!
Creamy spring blooms, sturdy performance, and year-round elegance, a dogwood made to shine where conditions are less than perfect
FEATURES:
- In spring, bright green leaves with a glossy shine emerge before the blooms, providing a vivd backdrop once they do
- Four petaled, snow-white flowers emerge in mid to late spring
- The bright green foliage turns a vibrant shade of red as fall weather takes over
- Disease resistant, cold hardy, and low maintenance
- Wonderful when planted in shade gardens, along a wooded line, or as a specimen tree in the landscape
- Hand Selected, Fresh from the Grower
- Ships on our trucks because of the size of the tree - does not fit in a box
Bower & Branch Landscape Design Tip:
Build a “quiet backdrop” around it. Choose a few steady, dark greens nearby, think hollies, boxwood, or inkberry, then add one pop of seasonal color at the feet like white bulbs in spring or warm-toned perennials in summer. The tree becomes the centerpiece, and the surrounding plants act like a frame, not competition.
Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 5-9
- Mature Height: 15-25' tall
- Mature Width: 15-25' wide
- Exposure: Full Sun/Part Shade
- Spacing: 20-25' apart
Why plant Aurora® Rutgers Dogwood?
This is the dogwood for people who want the romance without the drama. Aurora® is a Rutgers hybrid bred to bring together the best of dogwood beauty and better overall toughness, so you get that springtime show, plus a tree that’s better equipped for real-life landscapes. In spring, it opens with creamy-white blooms that feel bright and classic, the kind that makes the whole yard look refreshed. As the season rolls on, the foliage stays clean and the form stays composed, with branching that reads polished and intentional even when you haven’t touched a pruning tool in years.
In fall, the leaves shift into deep red to burgundy, adding warmth and richness before winter. It’s a four-season, design-friendly tree that feels right at home in everything from traditional front yards to layered woodland borders, and it’s especially satisfying when you want a dogwood that can handle a bit more.
How to use Aurora® Rutgers Dogwood in the landscape?
Plant it as a focal point in a front yard bed or near an entry where the spring bloom display can be enjoyed from the curb and the porch. It also works beautifully as an understory tree beneath taller shade trees, adding a mid-layer of structure and bloom without competing for the canopy. Use it to soften the edge of a wooded area, or place it within a mixed shrub border where its branching can rise above hydrangeas and evergreens for a layered, garden-like look. For the most striking spring contrast, situate it near darker foliage and let the tree’s creamy blooms and fall reds stand out against deep greens.
Planting Zones
Hardiness Zones: 5-9
Frequently Asked Questions
The spring blooms are creamy white. You’ll see showy bracts that read like petals, creating a bright, classic dogwood display.
Yes, it’s known for stronger overall performance and improved resilience. It still appreciates good planting conditions, well-drained soil, consistent moisture during establishment, and mulch to keep roots cool, but it’s a great option when you want dogwood beauty with a sturdier temperament.
Prune lightly in late winter to early spring, removing dead, damaged, or crossing branches. Keep pruning minimal to preserve the tree’s natural structure and the strongest bloom potential.
How Does Sizing Work?
The size of our trees have nothing to do with the container size like you may find elsewhere–big doesn't mean just height - it’s also vigor, age, and overall health. Other online retailers are going to tell you that a plant is a seven gallon, that means nothing to your tree or plant (or you.)
Our trees for sale online are graded on large, x-large, and even bigger sizes. This is because our trees are sized by their age—the higher the letter, the more mature the tree. The age determines the trees’ overall height, size of the trunk and the overall branch density.
All of these characteristics are what you should be looking for when choosing a tree for immediate impact and instant curb appeal. Our extra-large tree and plant sizes are sure to wow you and your neighbors!
See the size guides below.
Our Guarantees
3-YEAR-TREE GUARANTEE:
Bower & Branch offers a Three-Year Tree Guarantee on all of our trees, sizes X-Large and up. Only the finest and the most experienced growers are awarded the opportunity to grow for Bower & Branch, so we offer the best guarantee available.
If your tree(s) should fail for any reason during the three-year guarantee period, you will receive an online gift card in the amount that you originally spent on the tree.* You can then use this online gift card for any Bower & Branch Purchase.
* Bower & Branch provides online gift cards in the amount of the original purchase price of the tree(s). The amount does not include any additional costs such as delivery, planting, tax, or any other products or services. Online gift cards can be applied towards any Bower & Branch purchase on BowerandBranch.com and have no expiration dates. Bower & Branch does not guarantee tree replacement or availability of any desired product at any time. Cash refunds are not offered. Bower & Branch requires that all original tags and receipts are present when a guarantee request is initiated. The Bower & Branch Three-Year Guarantee only applies to plant material that has been planted in the ground. Container plantings are NOT covered.
At Bower & Branch, we do our best to honor all guarantee fulfillment requests to ensure customer satisfaction. However, we reserve the right to refuse the request if the required guarantee steps were not satisfied. Bower & Branch also reserves the right to deny any guarantee fulfillment request that is made as a result of animal damage, problems with plant hardiness and zone issues, or acts of nature (snow storms, hurricanes, and similar).
Reach out to a Plant Whisperer with any questions:
- Email: plantwhisperers@bowerandbranch.com
- Phone: 866-873-3888
- Or via Online Chat
