Cherokee Princess® Dogwood Tree — The Gold Standard of White Flowering Dogwoods

Among white-flowering dogwoods, the Cherokee Princess® has earned its reputation as one of the finest selections ever made. Its blooms are notably larger than those of the standard native dogwood — broad, overlapping white bracts that cover the tree in a breathtaking spring display before the leaves even fully emerge. A cultivar of the beloved native Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida), it brings four full seasons of beauty to the landscape with minimal effort.

Why Gardeners Choose Cherokee Princess®

• Exceptionally Large White Blooms: Broad, overlapping white bracts are larger than standard dogwood varieties — a more dramatic, fuller spring display that covers the entire canopy.
• Four-Season Interest: Pure white spring blooms, lush green summer foliage, brilliant red-purple fall color, and an elegant layered branching structure with attractive bark through winter.
• Bright Red Summer Berries: Clusters of glossy red berries follow the blooms, providing a valuable late-summer food source for songbirds and other wildlife.
• Native Tree: A cultivar of the native Cornus florida, naturally adapted to eastern U.S. conditions and supportive of local ecosystems.
• Right-Sized for Most Landscapes: Reaches a graceful 15–25 ft. at maturity — ideal for smaller yards, woodland edges, or as an understory specimen beneath larger trees.
• Low Maintenance: Thrives in well-drained soil with part shade, requires minimal pruning, and is naturally resistant to most common pests.

Growing Guide

• Light: Full sun to part shade (afternoon shade beneficial in hot climates)
• Water: Keep soil consistently moist, especially during dry spells; well-drained soil essential
• Hardiness: USDA Zones 5–9
• Mature Height: 15–25 ft.
• Bloom Time: Early spring (March–April), before or with leaf emergence
• Fertilizing: Apply slow-release fertilizer in early spring for best performance
• Available Sizes: 3–4 ft., 4–5 ft.

Plant it where morning light catches those white bracts in April — they seem almost luminous against a blue spring sky, the whole tree glowing before the rest of the garden has fully woken up.

Explore More Spring-Blooming Trees

• Cherokee Chief Pink Dogwood — the deep rose-pink counterpart to the Princess®’s pure white — plant them together for a stunning two-tone spring display
• Snow Fountains® Weeping Cherry Tree — cascading pure white spring blooms on an elegant weeping form, a perfect white-on-white spring pairing