Cornus Little Ruby™ PP26542

Double and single dark pink to near red blossoms are produced in early spring on this semi-evergreen (evergreen down to about 15 °F), densely branched and compact Dogwood. Little Ruby Dogwood produces deep red tinged new growth and has excellent deep red to maroon fall color that holds through much of winter. Grow this hardy and disease resistant hybrid as a medium to large shrub or train it into a small specimen tree. Little Ruby™ Dogwood is the first release in a line of new hybrid Dogwoods developed through the breeding and selection work of Dr. Tom Ranney and the Mountain Crop Improvement Lab at NCSU. It is considered to be resistant to Dogwood anthracnose as well as powdery mildew. Little Ruby™ Dogwood is a hybrid of Cornus kousa ‘Miss Satomi’ × Cornus hongkongensis ‘Summer Passion’. Through selection and extensive testing and by using already disease resistant (C. kousa) parents, Dr. Tom Ranney has managed to come up with a new line of Dogwoods that are not only resistant to the diseases that plague many of the existing Dogwood species and cultivars available today but are also evergreen to semi-evergreen (thanks to C. hongkongensis) with great maroon fall and winter coloration. The large white, or , in this case pink to red, portion of the spring flowers are actually bracts, like on a Poinsettia, that subtend the small clusters of true flowers that are green to yellowish green. Dogwoods are naturally understory trees generally speaking although they can withstand full sun under optimum growing conditions. Provide a well-drained, loamy soil with average moisture during the establishment period as well supplemental water during prolonged drought. Midday and afternoon shade may be best in hot summer climates.