Cornus canadensis – Bunchbherry – 1-Pint

A beautiful woodland groundcover – everyone wants to grow this cute Flowering Dogwood relative, shrunk down from a mid-sized tree to a low, slowly-spreading groundcover. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to grow, demanding a cool, moist microhabitat. In the Catskills we only see the species at higher elevations where summer heat is rare. So find a spot with at least a little afternoon shade, and soil with a great deal of moisture-retaining humus. Then keep your fingers crossed. You could also try a swampy area – the species is often found at the edge of or on hummocks in swamps and bogs. The fruiting clusters from which the plant’s common name is derived (shown in the inset) are also very ornamental. For those of you gardening at higher elevations, in the Catskills or elsewhere, Bunchberry can be grown in sunnier garden spots as long as the soil stays moist.