Cornus

The state flower of North Carolina and an iconic understory tree of eastern North American woodland margins, producing white (occasionally pink in var. rubra) "flowers" in spring — actually large showy bracts surrounding the small true flowers in the center. Layered horizontal branching, scarlet fall foliage, and persistent red drupes that sustain songbirds through fall migration make this a four-season landscape plant. Susceptible to dogwood anthracnose (Discula destructiva), particularly at higher elevations — siting and disease awareness are load-bearing.

The western counterpart of eastern flowering dogwood — a small deciduous tree of the Pacific coast with horizontal, tiered branching and a rounded-to-conical crown. Its showy spring "flowers" are actually a tight central cluster of tiny purple-green true flowers ringed by six large white petal-like bracts (eastern flowering dogwood has four). Elliptic dark green leaves color yellow to orange to red in fall, and the 1/3-inch fruits ripen to showy bright red or orange that feed songbirds, squirrels, and deer.

A native northern + western North American deciduous shrub with brilliant red winter stems (the design-defining trait), white spring flower clusters, white-to-blue drupes, and orange-red fall foliage. Tolerates wet feet + cold winters; among the most reliable winter-interest native shrubs for cold landscapes.