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If you've been afraid to plant a Dogwood tree for fear of disease and/or borer problems, fear not. The dependable Cornus kousa varieties are resistant to both disease and borers. 'Elizabeth Lustgarten' is a beautiful, vigorous, and floriferous weeping selection. She reaches approximately 15 to 20 feet tall and 12 to 18 feet wide, with gracefully arching and weeping branches clothed in lustrous, dark green leaves that turn to vibrant shades of red in the fall, holding their color much longer than native dogwoods. In late spring, she features a plethora of large, 4 to 5-inch-diameter, 4-petaled, star-shaped flowers with white, pointed petals that nearly cover the foliage on mature trees. The flowers are followed by numerous clusters of strawberry-like fruits that mature to a red color in summer, persisting through fall. Kousa dogwoods will tolerate more sun than our native species, but we still believe they look their best in a partially shaded environment with some filtered sun or shade during the afternoon. 

Dogwood trees are adaptable to a wide range of soil types; however, they prefer moist, well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter. Although Dogwood trees can tolerate full sun, we believe they look and perform best with some shade or filtered sunlight during the hottest part of summer afternoons. Constantly soggy or wet soils are problematic. Maintenance is minimal to none. Except to remove a stray or broken branch, no pruning is necessary.