How to spot flowering dogwood
- Showy white or pink four-bracted 'flowers' in early spring
- Small understory tree, usually 15–30 feet
- Oval leaves with curved veins; red fall color and red berries
- Often planted at the edge of the yard or under bigger trees
Flowering dogwoods are prized ornamentals but they're delicate — they don't love full sun, drought, or mechanical damage, and they're susceptible to anthracnose and powdery mildew in the wrong spots. A struggling dogwood is often a sign it's planted somewhere it doesn't want to be.
Because they're small, the work is usually light pruning, deadwood, and clearing out ones that have declined past saving.
Common problems we see on flowering dogwood
This is general guidance from three decades of tree work across the Philadelphia area — not a formal diagnosis. When it matters, we'll come look at the actual tree and give you a straight answer, free.
Brennan Tree Service has cared for trees across the Philadelphia area since 1994.
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