Gray Dogwood vs Emerald Cedar - TreeTime.ca

Gray Dogwood vs Emerald Cedar

Cornus racemosa

Thuja occidentalis Smaragd

CUSTOM GROW

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Gray Dogwood
Emerald Cedar

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.

Emerald Cedar makes a great addition to landscapes, and is often used to form tight hedges or privacy screens. The thick scale-like foliage adds texture and colour to yards and is commonly used to line driveways. Unlike other cedars it retains its green colour throughout the fall and winter.

It is a semi dwarf species, which generally needs little pruning, but if desired it responds well to trimming. Its attractive, columnar shape and dense foliage makes it a desired landscape feature.

The Emerald Cedar won the award of merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.

Gray Dogwood Quick Facts

Emerald Cedar Quick Facts

Zone: 4a
Zone: 2a
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Height: 4 m (13 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: any
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: any
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Suckering: medium
Suckering: none


Fall colour: deep, reddish puple
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: MB, ON, QC
Other Names: smaragd arborvitae, thuja occidentalis emeraude