I would plant it. We can plant into November in our zone, I think you can do the same. I would really struggle to keep that plant cared for over the winter, maybe you would do better but I would easily forget it.

Find out how big -both tall and wide- it will be when mature and pick the spot to plant it so that it truly will add to the canopy. Yes, get it out of the pot now. This tree will grow faster than you think, so place it correctly now.

Oh I know it’s not going to survive in this tiny pot! Was thinking of a bigger one till spring.

We can plant here too for longer but it’s going to look odd as so small.

From what I’ve read they can grow to be 15-20 feet tall and quite wide but with shallow roots. Perhaps someone who is experienced with them can weigh in?

Be aware that the height and spread shown on the tag is at 10 years, not its mature size.

What kind of flowering dogwood? Various species and hybrids will grow to different sizes and even specific cultivars may have size limitations. Roots are unlikely to be a big consideration - most trees have surface oriented roots - but avoiding pipes/garden 'plumbing' is always a concern.

FWIW, you can plant anything that is fully zone hardy in our climate (and that would include any dogwood) at any time during the winter months. As long as the soil is not overly saturated.

Trees planted alone in the middle of a lawn or not as part of an existing (or new) planting bed look unplanned and unintentional. They need a context....especially baby ones :-) And dogwoods are woodland understory trees and often struggle in full sun in our summers so consider a location that offers some afternoon shade at least.

So the tag says it’s a Western Flowering Dogwood. I had really hoped it could go in front of the pole in some way and then in the spring I would reshape the garden bed to embrace it.

Alternatively it would go further back closer to house as more of a stand alone near the fence.

But this is the west side of our house…so shade in morning but then for sure afternoon sun.

I also got at Red Osier Dogwood but want it to go elsewhere

Plant it now. Plant it so that it can shade your front courtyard and becomes part of that section of the landscape. It will hide the pole from your view for a long time before you will be looking under it. Much will have changed by then. Avoid all the utility lines. Mostly don't plant it directly on top of any of the lines. The roots of a dogwood are extremely unlikely to ever be a problem.

Plant a matching dogwood on the right (your left looking out) to help screen the other giant utility box from your view of your front yard.

I’m not worried about our view. We have only one forward facing window on the main floor and it’s an office. Our views are all out back.

Here is the view from above in a bedroom. There are no wired above to be worried about as we cannot plant in first 2m of lot.

Into the ground anywhere until spring IMO it needs to be planted and can always be moved next spring.

Tardy in responding....the storm took out my internet connection for a day :-(

"Western flowering dogwood" would suggest Cornus nuttallii (aka Pacific dogwood). This gets to be a BIG tree...the largest of the flowering dogwoods. In a natural setting these can get as large as 75' tall and with a 20'+ canopy spread. Unlikely to achieve that size in a cultivated setting but still plan on it getting much larger than any eastern dogwood or kousa dogwood and site accordingly.

Interesting that the city selected this type of dogwood. Pacific dogwoods have a reputation for being unhappy in a cultivated garden setting as they prefer very specific siting, at least part shade and no supplemental irrigation after establishment. Very few local retail nurseries sell them as a result.

Where would you suggest we put it? Our front yard is north west facing and back is south east. I could make a home for it anywhere but really did want the colour and flowers out front.

Get 'er planted in the ground for the winter - protected in that bed behind the pole. Its small enough to place permantly in early spring once you decide. i'm in PA and have several varieties of dogwood They can thrive in most conditions.

Like many west coast native plants, Pacific dogwoods require rather specific growing conditions. Which is why you never see them marketed or grown outside of their native range. If Cornus nuttallii is what you received, do some research before you select a permanent location to maximize your success. This is not your everyday dogwood and they do NOT "thrive in most locations"!!

I agree that it is unlikely to be happy planted where you're suggesting. If you have large evergreens somewhere in your yard, try it under those. Then look for a tree or several, including shrubs that will thrive being planted near the pole to help hide it. I'd plant it now instead of in the spring. No sense disturbing it to repot, then again in the spring. The more it's established before summer, the better it will do.
This is how you would find this tree growing in the wild in the PNW. They are the beautiful, white blossomed trees peeking out among stands of Douglas 'Fir and Western Hemlock.

If you want a dogwood for your yard that will thrive where you are thinking, look at Kousa or other flowering dogwoods. https://www.oregonlive.com/hg/2014/03/dogwood_divas.html 

You won't care, but some day if planted too close to the pole the city will come along and 'trim' it away from power lines and if you have ever seen how they destroy a good looking tree you will keep yours far away from future hack jobs.

It is a shame the Western Dogwood is so fussy about being under cultivation. Is there room for it on the other side of your front yard? If that is the south side and your neighbors have some tall trees, that may give it more afternoon shade and less need to worry about all the buried utilities.

There is a spot I can put it in the backyard by a cedar tree grouping. I was going to put the dogwood shrub there but perhaps not based on this thread.

I actually do care about the power lines but also think the image distorts how close things are. On our property, where we can plant, there are no overhead lines. At the edge of our property, right at the street, there are some lines. But we are not allowed to plan along the edge so irrelevant. Anywhere I was looking to plant would be on our lot away from the lines which would be over 2m away as we have restrictions on how close to the street we can plant

I’ve just emailed the contact I have for the project to clarify what they recommend. Will report back and plant accordingly. Supposed to be glorious this weekend here on the PNW so want to get it in!!!

So I heard back from the city and this is what they said on the bush and tree…

Did you get a red osier dogwood shrub? If so, it likes to be in part shade in loose well draining soil. They can get up to 12’ high but usually end up as a large shrub. The flowering dogwood, while small now, does end up as a large tree so make sure it has a lot of room to grow. They can be found in sun or part shade. The great thing is that both of these plants are native to our area so our soil is well suited to their needs.

That information is only partially accurate at best :-) Do yourself a favor and do your own research on the flowering dogwood. It is NOT an easy tree to grow in a garden setting and has rather specific requirements, as I referred to previously.

The redtwig dogwood will literally grow just about anywhere - sun or shade; dry or wet. Or both. You see them growing along the freeway verges, along streams, ponds and other wetlands and at the edges of forests and in open woods. Once established, it also quite drought tolerant. A far easier plant to accommodate than the tree.

Confirmed it’s the finicky one. Shoot. I mean I have other spots with cedars that it can go in but they are barely visible from anywhere on my property. Argh

The city gave you a native tree that if you get lucky and plant it in just the right spot, it might one day be a 40' tall tree. Under cultivation it is more likely to be a big bush sized tree and subject to all manner of dogwood pestilence. Sun and shade is not the key factor in siting I don't think. I bet the key to happiness is in the soil. It wants a humus rich, acid, moist, well drained soil. It wants leaf litter and wet. That is often frowned upon in cultivated gardens.

Plant your baby Cornus nuttallii dogwood for the future and care for it. I hope they are seed grown and this is a way to spread the Western Dogwood gene pool out in the landscape.

It will likely be happiest nestled into the cedars. That sounds like it would most closely mimic the tree's preferred siting. That it is not highly visible should not be a major concern. This is very much a peek-a-boo sort of tree anyway, virtually unnoticeable until it pops into flower in May. Shows off beautifully for of a couple of weeks and then fades back into obscurity :-)

Not really a front garden specimen sort of tree at all, it tends to be somewhat gangly and sparse. And really would not be happy in full sun.

I continue to be surprised by your city is giving these away as part of their tree canopy program. I'm not sure they did very much research first........or they got a really good deal on them :-)

ETA: This tree is also highly prone to dogwood anthracnose. Just another issue you should be aware of.

This was the only gold tree in the group. They had several others that grow tall quickly and would be awful in front yards

Good not gold

Little guy is in the ground. Shrub I’m struggling with.