Gray Dogwood vs Northern Bayberry - TreeTime.ca

Gray Dogwood vs Northern Bayberry

Cornus racemosa

Myrica pensylvanica

ONLY AVAILABLE BY CONTRACT GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

Gray Dogwood
Northern Bayberry

Gray dogwood is a thicket-forming, deciduous shrub with greenish-white blossoms in open, terminal clusters. Young twigs are red and the fruit pedicels remain conspicuously red into late fall and early winter.

Fruit itself is a white, 1/4 in. drupe that usually does not remain on the shrub for long.

Great for naturalizing wild areas, this shrub attracts birds and other wildlife.

Note: This species is currently unavailable. Grow your own using Gray Dogwood seeds at SeedTime.ca.

Northern Bayberry makes an excellent hedge or feature shrub. It will retain its leaves in warmer climates but drops them in colder areas. They produce blue-grey berries that have a wax coating on them that can be used to make candles or soaps.

In colder hardiness zones the leaves turn an attractive orange to red colour in the fall, making it a striking addition to your landscape.

Northern Bayberry is native to Nova Scotia and tolerates both drought and wet conditions. It is also a nitrogen fixer that tolerates poor soil conditions.

Gray Dogwood Quick Facts

Northern Bayberry Quick Facts

Zone: 4a
Zone: 3a
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Moisture: any
Moisture: normal
Light: any
Light: partial shade, full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: yes
Fall colour: deep, reddish puple
Berries: blue-gray
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: long
Suckering: medium
Suckering: medium




Toxicity: Warning: The wax from bayberry fruit is considered toxic and may be carcinogenic.
Other Names: candlewood, myrique de pennsylvanie, small waxberry, swamp candleberry, tallow bayberry, tallow shrub, tallow tree, tallowshrub