Silky dogwood (*Cornus amomum*) is a deciduous shrub native to eastern North America. Underneath the leaves and twigs, you’ll find silky hairs—hence the name. Native Americans referred to it as ‘kinnikinnick,’ which means ‘smoking mixture,’ because they smoked it like tobacco. White flowers bloom forth in the spring. They are followed by blue fruit that birds love to snack on.
Common name | Kinnikinnik, Pale Dogwood, Red Willow, Silky Cornel, Silky Dogwood, Swamp Dogwood |
Botanical name | Cornus amomum |
Family | Cornaceae |
Species | amomum |
Origin | Eastern Central & Eastern U.S.A |
Life cycle | Woody |
Plant type | Native Plant |
Hardiness zone | 5, 6, 7, 8 |
Sunlight | Deep shade |
Maintenance | Medium |
Soil condition | Clay |
Soil ph | Acid |
Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained |
Growth rate | Medium |
Spacing | 6 – ft. – 12 ft. |
Harvest time | Fall |
Flowering period | Spring |
Height | 6 ft. – 12 ft. |
Width | 6 ft. – 12 ft. |
Flower color | Gold, Yellow |
Leaf color | Green |
Fruit color | Blue |
Stem color | Brown, Copper |
Fruit type | Drupe |
Fruit benefit | Showy |
Flower benefit | Showy |
Garden style | Native Garden |
Uses | Coastal |
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Cornus amomum, the silky dogwood, is a species of dogwood native to the southern Ontario and eastern United States, from Michigan and Vermont south to Alabama and Florida. Other names include red willow, silky cornel, kinnikinnick, and squawbush.
Cornus in Latin means horn, describing the dogwood’s hard wood. Amomum in Latin means eastern spice.
Cornus amomum is a deciduous shrub growing to 5 m (16+1⁄2 ft) tall. The leaves are opposite, up to 10 cm (4 in) long and 7 cm (2+3⁄4 in) broad, oval with an acute apex. The flowers are produced in cymes. The fruit is a small blue drupe. Cornus amomum usually blooms between May and June, producing four-petalled showy yellowish white flowers. Cornus amomum leaves are rusty brown and pubescent, occurring opposite from one another and usually having between 4 and 5 veins per leaf side. If Cornus amomum is left unattended it will grow to create thickets and thick vegetative areas.

Cornus amomum is primarily used by song birds, insects and rodents for its fruits which are produced in summer. Land dwelling mammals such as white-tailed deer and elk feast on the fruit as well. Cornus amomum uses the animals as a method of seed dispersal. As Cornus amomum fruit decay, frugivores tend to pick only the ripe fruit and seeds, which destroy good seeds that would otherwise be dropped and grow. Cornus amomum has been marked as a pollinator plant, supporting and attracting bees, butterflies, and flies. It is a host plant for butterflies, providing food during their larval stage.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
The silky dogwood will do best in part sun, although it will tolerate full shade and full sun. You will need to ensure it has plenty of water and that the soil remains moist in full sun positions.
Temperature and Humidity
Silky dogwoods are found in USDA zones 5-8 and are frost hardy. Where temperatures are high in summer, the shrub benefits from protection from afternoon sun. It does not tolerate drought well.
Watering
Watering a young plant that is not established is essential. Newly planted shrubs should be watered weekly and deeply for the first year until they have established their roots. Once established, unless there is a drought or it is in a full sun position, the silky dogwood does not require any extra water besides what nature provides.
Soil

Growing the shrub in slightly acidic soil (pH 5-7) that is well-drained and rich in organics will help it to thrive and have prolific blooms, fruit, and color.
Fertilizing
There is no need to fertilize the silky dogwood. It will grow and spread well on most soils. If the soil is tested for pH and it is high, an amendment can be added to increase the acidity. However, because of its use as a food source for pollinators, fertilizers and amendments are not recommended.
Pruning
Pruning your silky dogwood is vital for keeping the flowering shrub healthy, initiating new growth, producing denser growth, and giving a shrub its shape. It takes a fair bit of management to keep it looking neat and prevent it from becoming too unruly. The best time for heavy pruning is in the dormant season or early spring.
Proactively cut suckers, trim unwanted growth, and remove dead and damaged branches. Mature silky dogwood shrubs typically have four to six main stems. You can prune one of these stems down to ground level without affecting the plant much.
Propagation
You can propagate silky dogwood via layering, cutting, and sowing seeds. The best time for propagating is generally in the spring. The fastest methods are layering and cutting. Layering is the easiest; here’s how:
A grove can be established if planted in a group to form thickets through rooting. A simple propagation method calls for a stem to be left in contact with the soil and covered or compressed. A rock on a stem would work. After a few months, the stem will have taken root and a thicket formed.

Stem cuttings take more time; here’s how:
- You’ll need a planting container, rooting medium or sand mixed with perlite, pruners, rooting hormone, and a clear plastic bag.
- Collect stems in the spring. Bend a stem in half; you know it’s ready if it snaps when you bend it. Collect several and root them all since the success rate is variable. Cuttings should be 3 to 5 inches long. Cut about an inch below a set of leaves.
- Remove all the bottom leaves and coat rooting hormone on the cut stem end and the leaf nodes where you removed the leaves.
- Fill a clean container with the potting mixture. Tamp it down. Insert the cut stem end into the center of the container.
- Mist the cutting and place the clear plastic bag around the top to create a greenhouse atmosphere. Tent the bag using chopsticks or other implements to ensure the leaves are not touching the bag. Once a week, let in air and check the stem for roots. Gently tug and see if it holds firm. Most rooting occurs within six weeks.
- Remove the bag once rooting occurs. Keep the plant in a sunny window and keep the soil moist constantly. Begin to give half-strength fertilizer to boost growth.
How to Grow from Seed
Silky dogwood can be grown from seeds. You can collect the seeds of mature fruits from September to November. Berries have ripened once they turn from white to blue. Remove the pulp. You can direct sow the seeds in the fall or cold-stratify the seeds in the refrigerator for 12 weeks and start the seeds indoors. Here’s how to direct sow the seeds outdoors:
- In the fall, sow the seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep in a prepared outdoor bed. Choose a spot that will get shade in the afternoon.
- Mulch over the spot with two to three inches of bark mulch. Mark the location. The mulch must be removed as soon as the ground thaws in the early spring.
- The seeds will need two to three months of cold stratification. Once the temperature and ground warms, the seeds will germinate (temperatures must be between 70 and 85 degrees). Germination can take 14 weeks.
- Once the seedlings emerge, water the soil regularly, keeping the soil moist. Remove any nearby weeds.
Potting and Repotting

Dogwoods are not recommended for container growing. Silky dogwood gets large, has a vast, fibrous root system, and needs its roots to remain cool to thrive. Containers are harder to keep cool, especially in the summer.
Overwintering
Silky dogwood is cold hardy down to USDA zone 5, which can survive temperatures dropping to -20 degrees Fahrenheit. It is deciduous, so it drops its leaves in the fall. It goes dormant and, generally, has no problems handling wintery weather.
Pests and Diseases
Common Pests and Plant Diseases
Silky dogwood generally resists insects and diseases. However, like other dogwoods, it occasionally gets scale insects, borers, and leaf miners. Neem oil is a good organic insecticidal method of handling these pests. Silky dogwood is also deer resistant.
Rarely, it can be susceptible to leaf spots, stem or crown canker, blights, root rot, and powdery mildew. Most of these diseases are fungal, occur late in the summer or fall, and usually occur before the trees go dormant; they cause more damage if they occur early in the season. Fungicide should be applied if noticeable in the spring.
Common Problems With Silky Dogwood
Silky dogwood is fairly disease and pest resistant; however, it will suffer from environmental conditions, such as mower injury, over-fertilization, or poor growing conditions.
Browning Leaf Edges
Leaves with noticeable browning of leaf edges or between the veins can indicate overly dry conditions. Dogwoods need adequate moisture to thrive since they have a shallow root system and are susceptible to drought stress. Give water deeply and regularly, especially if the tree is in a full sun spot. Also, layer mulch over the root zone to help the soil retain moisture.
Leaves Turning Red
If leaves appear to be turning red well before the fall foliage season (for instance, in summer), the plant is in distress. It can be a sign of powdery mildew or crown canker, or it could be drought stress or too much sun. Give water to help alleviate drought stress.
III. Uses and Benefits

- Ornamental uses
The dogwood family is desired for ornamental uses in landscapes across the United States. Dogwoods are valued by gardeners for their spring flowers, summer foliage, fruit and leaf color. Each species of dogwood has their own unique look, Cornus amomum is a shrub which can be used in places of excess runoff or areas of water collection in a landscape as it thrives in moist to wet soil conditions. The shrub provides beautiful colors throughout the spring, summer and fall.
- Other uses
Cornus amomum has also been used in the outdoors to help with erosion control along slopes and steep inclines, it can be planted by farmers and landowners to provide a windbreaks for homes and agriculture fields, its uses can include building natural borders between land and for wildlife conservation, and it can be used to provide habitat for many types of wildlife.
Finally, Cornus amomum can minimize stream bank erosion and add stabilization along the bank when coupled together with other well rooted trees and shrubs like willows. Some problems can arise from the use of Cornus amomum as a natural border, mostly as a border for wildlife and livestock. While the shrubs create a useful barrier, grazing wildlife and livestock tend to damage much of the shrub when the fruit are ripe. Other than that, there are no impending diseases or pests which would pose any sort of problem for the shrub.