I used to sell some Gray Dogwoods at a conventional nursery in northeast Illinois to be used as a screen or in a shrub borders to some customers. In landscapes it is usually about 8 to 12 feet high and wide. It gets bigger in nature and suckers a lot to form a colony. It is native from central Maine to northern Delaware, most of New York and Pennsylvania, areas of West Virginia, lower Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, parts of Missouri, much of Iowa & Minnesota, and southeast Ontario, growing in upland sites of meadows, prairies, forest edges, hilltops, and cliffs. Smooth twigs are tan to red-brown, pith white to brown, and stems with smooth, gray bark. The creamy flower clusters to around 2 inches wide bloom in late May to early June. The white fruit is borne in August-September and is loved by over 100 species of birds. After the fruit is gone, the red peduncle stems that held the fruit are attractive. Shallow, fibrous roots makes it easy to transplant. Grows about 1.5 feet/year overall. It is found only rarely or occasionally planted in yards. It is more likely to be used by landscape architects that know this good shrub at parks, public properties, campuses, etc.

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