Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. This is the best time of year to add new plants to your yard, make it a family affair to give a gift to nature over the holidays. Our native dogwoods, Cornus florida, have suffered from years of higher temperatures and lower rainfall as well as disease pressure. New varieties have resistance to diseases and if you plant them in partly shaded areas and mulch them well, keeping turfgrass away, they will give you beauty and provide food for wildlife for years and years to come. Search Clemson HGIC Dogwoods you’ll fund information on selecting a variety that will give you beauty and feed wildlife for many years. With a shallow root system, it is critical to plant these trees properly, so while you are at Clemson HGIC check out the fact sheet 1001, how to plant trees correctly.