Well, I have more dogwood seedlings popping up in the elderberry, honeysuckle (yuck) and walnut grove. I'm gonna let them go and see what they turn out to be. The big fella here had a good summer. Fall is a bit lackluster. It has been VERY dry and unseasonally warm. The leaves look less dry than on an older Cornus florida in my yard but many have fallen off with less color.

i will try again .... i am trying to help you what part of trees not being aquatic is not clear ... a pot without drainage holes... is used to sell pond plants.. aquatics ... trees need drainage... tree roots need air .. even the swamp trees put knobs or knees out of the water.. to get the air they need ... so breaking open the pot.. and finding moses' third flood of the bible indicates that it is getting too much water ... and for all we know.. its been there all winter .... and you didnt answer .. did you acclimate the leaves from the dark garage [windows dont really count compared to direct sun ... plus winter sun declination etc...] .... a tree is a tree ... dogwood is just superfluous information ... if a tree does not have drainage ... you will have problems ... most likely relating to rotting roots ... and then it becomes very hard to figure out how to water it properly .... as more water probably wont help.. but less water might hurt.. etc ... personally.. i never figured out that dichotomy .... now.. why is it potted???? .. is there any chance you can free it to mother earth????? i am trying to help here .... so dont read between the lines .... ken

Pat, You should be just FINE if you're in partial shade. If you do some research you'll find the Cornus species in nature grows best as an 'understory tree', somewhat under the canopies, and the protection of much more massive specimens of the forest (present and past) such as oak, beech, hickory, and American chestnut. For one thing, until flowering dogwoods become somewhat mature, their tender bark is EXTREMELY susceptible to canker. For another...you want to make sure that your dogwood is protected from potential damage that may occur from 'frost cracks' that often result from an aggressive winter sun... in the morning...abruptly 'heating up' a very SMOOTH, tender, and FROZEN outer bark, and cracking it, literally, like an eggshell, on the south- south east side of the tree ! If / when flowering dogwoods get to the point when the bark begins to 'furrow' naturally, then the danger of frost cracks greatly diminishes. But canker can and will always remain a potential problem with dogwoods of any age, so you have to watch your pruning technique. You also should know how to ID an existing canker problem, and how to do minor trunk surgery with a sterilized locking pen-knife to help correct it over time. What I did to help prevent this type of frost crack damage was to plant my Cherokee Princess directly on the NORTH- NORTHWEST position of the house, about 12' back from the front corner of the house. I also did this so it would eventually 'frame itself in' with the left side of our ranch home, from the perspective of the curb. Yes....dogwoods do tend to prefer things acid. But I recommend spoon feeding them only organic-based acids, like cottonseed meal and blood meal...and ONLY at points in time when they're NOT under stress from heat ! I'd steer clear of synthetic acids. Save them for your rhodos and azeleas. I aerated and topdressed the entire lawn with compost this spring...and I was sure to compost the trees, too, including this red dogwood, which, by the way, was a free "throw a way" tree from a Cincinnati nursery 4 or 5 years ago. (: And the incorporation of this aeration / composting within the grass-dominated dripline, to some degree, also helps increase downward percolation of natural rainfall and/or irrigation water, instead of the (typical) 'sheet wash' scenario that is oh-so-common here with the heavy clays in S. Ohio. This helps to make the less frequent, "deep watering" of the dogwood more meaningful, and less expensive as well.

A mature C. kousa has flaking/exfoliating bark like Parrotia, Sycamore, Lacebark Elm, Lacebark Pine, etc. You just happen to be observing it at the point in the growing season when the outer layer of bark is coming off. Once it's been shed, you'll have smooth bark with a jigsaw of colors (grey through tan)