Dogwood Bonsai possibilities

August44

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I saw this tree in town today and loved it. The flowers are great and the bark is incredible! I have permission to air layer and am asking about the possibilities of that. I think the name of the dogwood is "Raging Red Dogwood", but don't know that for sure. It would make a killer tree! Help appreciated! Peter
 

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August44

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Now someone has to know about dogwoods. Help please...
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Hello Peter.
Yes, dogwood air layer, you should get roots in less than 4 months after putting the layer in place.

Flowering dogwood, of which this is clearly a member of that group, they are used for bonsai occasionally and when they are used they can be absolutely stunning in bloom. They are a little '"tricky". They tend to have long internodes between leaves. Not inevitable, but it is a tendency.

Most often flowering dogwood is used as a deciduous "literati like" style. Or in a manner to mimic the loose airy designs of Ikebana designs. So rather than a tight, informal upright like one might make with a crab apple. Go for a design that is loose and airy, long slender trunks with attractive movement and relative little in the way of branch development. Bill Valavanis has displayed a flowering dogwood he owns several times. Check his blog at International bonsai.

THe only photo I found in my "examples file" is not at all like I described. It is also by Bill Valavanis, and is done in a more conventional informal upright. The photo belongs to Bill Valavanis, from an article he published in 2014.

cornus243WValvanis2014 (2019_10_20 19_42_16 UTC).jpg
 

August44

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Thanks Leo. I'm going to try and airlayer and see what happens. How big of a branch do I dare try?
 

BobbyLane

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I saw this tree in town today and loved it. The flowers are great and the bark is incredible! I have permission to air layer and am asking about the possibilities of that. I think the name of the dogwood is "Raging Red Dogwood", but don't know that for sure. It would make a killer tree! Help appreciated! Peter
That would make an epic pornstar name:D
 
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