Why Plant Starlight® Dogwood?
Just when you thought Dogwood trees couldn’t be any more beautiful, Starlight® Dogwood comes along and raises the bar. This newly released hybrid tree flaunts a profusion of pristine white five-inch flowers in spring. Even young trees are loaded with the oversized blooms, and the show only gets better each year. Starlight® Dogwood’s dense branching habit makes this uncommon mid-sized tree a wonderful privacy screen along your property line, though you’ll probably want to showcase it front-and-center in your front yard. And, as it is immune to powdery mildew and anthracnose (common Dogwood diseases), Starlight® isn’t only a pretty choice, but a smart one!
Dr. Elwin Orton’s brilliant Dogwood breeding program at Rutgers University has yielded a bumper crop of fantastic new hybrid trees for the garden. His Kousa Dogwood × Flowering Dogwood crosses (such as Celestial®) receive all the attention—however, Starlight® is different. This showstopper is a cross between the Japanese Kousa Dogwood and our native Pacific Dogwood of the West Coast. Dr. Orton made the cross back in 1973, but didn’t release Starlight® to the public until 2004. After 30 years of observation, the original tree was healthy and robust and had never fallen prey to any insect pest or disease.
How to use Starlight® Dogwood in the landscape?
Starlight® Dogwood is the first-ever cross between the Japanese Kousa Dogwood and the American Pacific Dogwood. It is similar to the offspring of another cross of this type, Venus®Dogwood, but it’s not quite so over-the-top (Venus® has six-inch flowers!). Starlight® also starts blooming about a week before Venus®.
Planting Zones
Hardiness Zone: 6-9
How To Plant Starlight® Dogwood
Hybrid trees often show what is known as “hybrid vigor,” which usually translates to fast growth, disease resistance, and larger flowers. Starlight® Hybrid Dogwood is no exception. This stellar tree will give you lots of bang for your buck and is low maintenance to boot. Like most Dogwoods, Starlight® prefers a site in full sun to part shade. Starlight® is hardy to -10°F, but flower production is best where winter temperatures don’t fall below 0°F (Zone 7).
How To Water
The Starlight® has a decent amount of drought resistance wired into its genes, but for the best results, water it regularly. Not too much! This tree doesn’t tolerate constantly wet soil.
How To Fertilize
Incorporate Elements Starter Plant food granular form into the soil when planting. If planting in spring or summer, start fertilizing late fall using Elements Starter Plant food granular form on an annual basis each late fall. Continue this for the first three years to get your plant well established.
How To Prune
Pruning may not be needed but is best done shortly after the flowers are spent.
How Does Shipping Work?
Bower & Branch Trees, the real BIG trees, don’t fit in a box! Our big trees, sizes XL and bigger, require expert delivery and care, that means our extra-large trees are shipped on Bower & Branch trucks. We are the only ones who know how to ship our big and bigger trees and plants with tender loving care. We deliver your trees and plants directly to you. Ask Bower & Branch about planting services – we'd be happy to assist in installation.
*For Big trees and Shrubs, Size XL and bigger: Review our Seasonal Shipping Timelines and Policy here.
Your trees and plants are grown across the United States at various Bower & Branch Growers. Depending on your location, your plant orders may be shipped from various locations. Please expect orders with multiple items to be delivered over a number of days as a result. Orders made up of numerous items or selections will not arrive at your home on the same day.
Shipping Delays:
From time to time, Bower & Branch Growers may determine to delay order shipment based on various factors for plant health. Weather in your region, as well as, where your plants are grown, is always considered when shipping. Extreme weather conditions may delay some or all of your order. Bower & Branch allows our Growers to make final shipping decisions based solely to benefit your trees and plants’ health and success.
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.
