It was the first day of spring, and it was snowing. Again.

The strong horizontal branches of the dogwood outside my window looked like an abstract Christmas tree, coated as they were with heavy, white snow. The grain of a dogwood tree is very tight, and the branches are strong. Even so, I thought about shaking the snow off of them when I shoveled the sidewalk.

There is a legend that Jesus died on a dogwood cross, and ever after, the dogwood blossoms formed the shape of the cross, with blood stains at the end of the bracts and with a crown of thorns caught in the pistel.

The catch is dogwood trees never grew in Jerusalem.

Native Americans have a different legend. Their legend is about a beautiful Cherokee girl who had to repel the unwanted advances of a man from another tribe. The spurned warrior stabbed her, and she tried to staunch her wound with blossoms from a dogwood tree. That’s why native dogwood flowers have a splotch of red on the petals.

The catch is dogwood blossoms are poisonous.

Two species of dogwood grow well in Blair County’s Zones 5 and 6; the native flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) and Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa).

Each has their strengths and weaknesses. Our native dogwood blooms before their leaves emerge in mid-spring. It does best in partial shade. The white — and sometimes pink — blossoms are arranged in four rounded bracts, each with a significant indentation at the top, as though someone or something punched it.

It can grow about 15 feet tall, and it produces brilliant red berries and leaves that turn a gorgeous crimson in the fall.

The catch is native dogwood is especially susceptible to a killing fungal plague called anthracnose.

Kousa dogwood, also known as Chinese dogwood, can grow 20 feet tall and it does well in full sun. Kousa bracts are pointed and some, like Cornus kousa “summer stars,” arrange their bracts into a loose square. They appear after the tree has leafed out.

In fall, Kousa produces red fruits that look like raspberries on steroids. The fall foliage isnát as bright as the Cornus florida, but the Kousa isn’t as susceptible to anthracnose, so Kousa is a better choice if the fungus is lurking in your neighborhood.

The catch is Kousa doesn’t tolerate heat as well as our native dogwood. And thatás a considerable disadvantage given our changing climate.

If you’re looking for a more natural addition to your landscape, try planting a native Cornus florida variety in full sun to discourage the anthracnose. You can choose Cherokee Princess, Cherokee Chief, Cherokee Maiden, Geronimo, Flower Chief — you get the idea.

The catch is full sun requires more diligence with the watering can.

Dogwood has always been an easy-to-grow ornamental tree; an anchor in the landscape. There are hundreds of Cornus species to choose from, so the catch will be making up your mind.

Contact Teresa Futrick at esroyllek@hotmail.com