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Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 5-8
- Spacing: 12-15' Apart
- Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
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Scarlet Fire® Rutgers Japanese Dogwood
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Revolutionary! Scarlet Fire® Rutgers Japanese Dogwood is a breakthrough in Dogwood breeding. Whereas other pink Japanese Dogwoods offer up blooms that are a soft pastel pink, Scarlet Fire® produces flowers that are vivid, vivacious, deep fuchsia-pink color. They'll light up your landscape in late spring and early summer. In autumn, burgundy-red foliage takes the stage. Scarlet Fire® is a lush, dense grower and makes a fine component in a mixed hedge, which can give you both beauty and privacy. It also shines as a stand-alone specimen. Where you want a dazzling pop of pink, it will do the job!
Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 5-8
- Spacing: 12-15' Apart
- Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
- Show more ›
The Story
Our native Flowering Dogwood is under attack. A deadly disease called anthracnose has threatened many of these magnificent trees. As a result, plant breeders have turned to other, more disease-resistant types of Dogwoods to supply similar ornamental characteristics. New Jersey's Rutgers University has been at the forefront of such research. Relying heavily on the Japanese Kousa Dogwood in his work, Rutgers' Dr. Elwin Orton famously embarked upon a long and fruitful career in Dogwood breeding decades ago. When he retired in 2008, he passed the baton to a new professor, Dr. Thomas Molnar. Dr. Molnar selected Scarlet Fire® and introduced it in 2015.
The Details
Did we forget to mention yet another colorful ornamental feature of this amazing tree? Scarlet Fire® also gets strawberry-like, crimson-red fruits in late summer. The pulp inside is edible (though seedy) and tastes like papaya!
How to Grow
Plant Scarlet Fire® Kousa Dogwood in an area of your yard that receives full sun or light shade. It's not too fussy about soils, but prefers an acid soil and needs good drainage. Water weekly, or better yet, use the Bower & Branch® Water Element to deliver just the right amount of moisture to your tree throughout the growing season. Unlike many Flowering Dogwood trees, the Japanese Kousa is highly resistant to disease -- most importantly, the dreaded anthracnose that has threatened so many of our native Dogwoods -- so you can rest easy with the Scarlet Fire®.
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