Dogwoods LOVE Cold Weather

We have had a surprising span of cooler weather this past January and February with much needed cold rain. As much as many of us here in Texas don’t like the cold, the dogwood trees sure love it and consider it the perfect conditions for growth.

Unfortunately, with all the great weather for dogwoods we have done a survey of the roads throughout Davey Dogwood Park and discovered that many of the trees that are near the driving trails did not survive the drought from the summer of 2011.

(Above is a tree inside that Davey Dogwood Park that did not survive the drought. You can tell because it has dead, browned leaves still on the tree, even in the middle of Spring.)

You might wonder why it took so long to determine the damage caused by the drought. Wouldn’t we have figured that our during the 2012 Dogwood Trails Celebration? It seems only logical that we would, but sometimes trees will become dormant and not bloom the following year after a bad drought and then resume their normal blooming habits after weather conditions have returned to normal.

Although we have experienced some lost, we are seeing signs of life! The trees that are developing buds are doing really well and will look amazing. This year more than ever, Palestine has a reason to cherish the dogwood blossoms. We have been celebrating their beauty for 75 years and plan to keep the tradition alive by doing reforestation efforts over the next couple of years. 

(Lovely dogwood buds forming! Can't wait for the blooms.)