Dogwoods

This is my neighbour's tree - it's gorgeous. And native! It is a western flowering dogwood. I've never seen one growing naturally in the forest but according to the map in Pojar and MacKinnon's in Plants of Coastal B.C. it grows very close to coastlines here in the southwest corner. Since this area is the most heavily logged and most densely populated, I expect that all the dogwood's native habitat's have been destroyed.

I would like to plant one in my garden, but I don't have enough space. My front space is so shallow and these trees can reach up to twenty metres. With the south-westerly winds that pick up, I wouldn't want my house to be in the tree's fall line. Perhaps in the back corner, if I ever get up my nerve to create the forest I've been wanting: dogwood and silver birch would be lovely together.

The dogwood blossom is also the provincial flower of B.C..