Little Ruby Dogwood
Cornus x 'NCCH1' (PP #26,542)
Little Ruby Dogwood
Cornus x 'NCCH1' (PP #26,542)
How are the heights measured?
All tree, and nothin' but the tree! We measure from the top of the soil to the top of the tree; the height of the container or the root system is never included in our measurements.
What is a gallon container?
Nursery containers come in a variety of different sizes, and old-school nursery slang has stuck. While the industry-standard terminology is to call the sizes "Gallon Containers", that doesn't exactly translate to the traditional liquid "gallon" size we think of. You'll find we carry young 1-gallons, up to more mature 7-gallons ranging anywhere from 6 inches to 6ft.
How does the delivery process work?
All of our orders ship via FedEx Ground! Once your order is placed online, our magic elves get right to work picking, staging, boxing and shipping your trees. Orders typically ship out within 2 business days. You will receive email notifications along the way on the progress of your order, as well as tracking information to track your plants all the way to their new home!
Why are some states excluded from shipping?
The short & sweet answer is: "United States Department of Agriculture Restrictions." Every state has their own unique USDA restrictions on which plants they allow to come into their state. While we wish we could serve everyone, it's for the safety of native species and helps prevent the spread of invasive disease & pests. We've gotta protect good ole' Mother Nature, after all.
About Me
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The Little Ruby™ Dogwood is a spectacular new flowering dogwood, that features not only brilliant pink, semi-double flowers, but also vibrantly colored deep-red new shoots and stunning red-purple fall leaves. It retains its foliage through the winter except in the coldest zones. It grows into a rounded shrub, just 8 to 12 feet tall, and a little wider, so it fits into smaller spaces perfectly, as well as adding a wonderful new feature to larger parts of the garden. It will look perfect as a specimen on a lawn, with interest in many seasons, and it can also be used as an informal screen, added to shrub beds, or grown on the margins of wooded areas, for a completely ‘natural’ look.
- Stunning display of rich pink flowers in late spring
- Dynamic deep red leaves on all new growth
- Wonderful burgundy-purple fall coloring
- Semi-evergreen, so keeps its leaves for most of the winter
- Smaller size is perfect for many different garden uses
The Little Ruby™ Dogwood grows from zone 5 to 9, so it will succeed in almost every garden, Grow it in sun in colder zones, and in partial shade – especially from afternoon sun – in warmer areas. It develops best in moist, well-drained soil, although it has some tolerance of ordinary summer dryness, once established. It has no noticeable pests or diseases, and it is a vigorous, colorful and fast-growing shrub you will just adore in your garden, for all the different features it brings you, all on just one bush.
- Plant Hardiness Zones 5-9
- Mature Width 10-15
- Mature Height 8-12 ft.
Flowering dogwoods are among the most beautiful flowering trees of spring, and no garden should be without them. As well, using colored foliage has become a great way to add color in all the seasons, not just for the weeks of flowering. So when we saw the Little Ruby™ Dogwood we knew this was something we wanted to make available to our customers, because it combines the best of these features – gorgeous pink spring flowers, rich red spring foliage, and spectacular maroon fall colors too. All this on a compact tree that is perfect for big or small gardens – what more could we ask for?
Growing Little Ruby™ Dogwoods
The Little Ruby™ Dogwood grows into a small tree or large shrub, 8 to 12 feet across, spreading to a slightly greater width. The fun starts in spring, when the new shoots emerge, as they are not plain green, but rich red, and the glossy leaves glow in the sunlight. In late spring the branches are smothered in large flowers that are rich pink, which has a far more dramatic impact in your garden than the common white flowering dogwoods do. These ‘flowers’ are called bracts – leaves modified to resemble petals. There are normally four or five or these on a flowering dogwood, but in this variety they are increased to about 10, making the flower look even richer than usual. In the center of these bracts you will see a cluster of very small round flowers, and from these, red seeds will develop by late summer. These are attractive, adding another feature to this fabulous tree, but birds love them too and they don’t last long. Still, you are helping your local wildlife, which is always a good thing.
During the summer the leaves turn green, but their veins remain deep red from the spring color. New shoots will also be deep red for some weeks before turning green. Then, when cooler weather arrives in fall the leaves take on spectacular shades of deep maroon red, looking fabulous against other fall trees in their yellows and oranges. In warmer zones these red leaves stay on the plant for months, sometimes not falling until the new crop of leaves has developed. In cooler areas they fall, revealing the intricate tracery of the branches.
Planting Location
Plant the Little Ruby™ Dogwood in a sunny or partially shaded spot in your garden. “In cooler areas more sun, in hotter ones more shade”, is the simple rule to follow. This tree will make a spectacular specimen on a lawn, or among other flowering shrubs in beds around your garden. Plant one in a corner of any garden to fill a space and bring beauty too. It grows well in the light shade from large deciduous trees, planted perhaps some distance from them, but still in their shadow. This is like the places that dogwoods are found growing naturally, and it is perfect for an informal semi-natural garden.
Care and Maintenance
The Little Ruby™ Dogwood grows best in moist but well-drained soil, preferring plenty of organic material added to the soil, and used as mulch in later years. Its complex breeding gives it lots of vigor, and this fast-growing and reliable tree has no significant pests or diseases. You can prune away some of the smaller lower branches to create a single trunk, or two or three trunks for a broader plant, or leave it to grow naturally as a large shrub, which will become more tree-like as it matures. It needs very little care once it is established, and you will love the ever-changing picture it brings to your garden.
History and Origins of the Little Ruby™ Dogwood
In many universities and colleges across the country, new plants are being bred, and this is how the Little Ruby™ Dogwood came to be. Dr. Thomas G Ranney, at North Carolina State University took two different dogwood trees – Cornus hongkongensis, a beautiful Asian species from China and Vietnam, and crossed it with a variety of another Asian dogwood, Cornus kousa, called `Satomi`. Although both of these plants have white flowers and green leaves, when he raised further seedlings from the first plants he had created, among all those seedlings was one with beautiful pink flowers and deep red spring leaves. This was what he was looking for, and he named it ‘NCCH1’ when he took out a patent on it is 2016.
This plant is very new, and still scarce, but of course it has been tested since 2007, and grown in many areas, before being released, and its vigor and garden worthiness has been thoroughly proven. We are confident you will love this fabulous new plant, but like all new plants the supply cannot hope to match the demand. So order now, because our limited stock will soon be gone.