It would be boring if everyone created a painting using the same color. That's what gardeners do when they only use one type of dogwood, the flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). It's arguably the most beautiful of the dogwoods, but there are other dogwoods that can lend interest and diversity to landscapes.

One of my favorite dogwoods is the Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), also known as the Japanese or Oriental dogwood. It's native to Japan, China and Korea. This small shrubby tree is vase-shaped when young, developing a horizontal branching structure as it matures. Growing only 15 to 20 feet tall, this dogwood can be very striking in bloom. It flowers in late spring, about a month after the flowering dogwood. The "flowers" are typically white and last almost a month. Many of the popular Kousa dogwood cultivars flower profusely and surpass the display of their more popular cousin.

The tree grows in sun to partial shade and prefers a well-drained, acidic soil. It's not very heat tolerant, so its best planted where it gets some shade -- and not surrounded by paving or buildings. It's reported to be a little more drought tolerant than flowering dogwood, but isn't considered drought tolerant. It's hardy to USDA Zone 5, which works for our winters. The bark on a mature tree exfoliates, creating a pleasing tan and brown mottled pattern.

Another feature of the tree is the fruit that follow the flowers. About an inch in diameter, the round green fruit turn red to pinkish-red in the fall. These fleshy fruit look like a big raspberry and are edible, but aren't very tasty, except to birds. The fruit can be a litter problem next to a walk or driveway.

There are many Kousa dogwood cultivars available to home gardeners with some of the best "bloomers" being Cornus chinensis hybrids, such as "Milky Way," which is free-flowering, "Lustgaren Weeping," or "Satomi" ("Rosabella") with red/pink flowers.

Another dogwood to consider is the Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas). This shrubby tree once was popular, but is not used much anymore. That's probably because it's not as spectacular as its flowering cousins. It grows 15 to 25 feet high and 15 to 20 feet wide. Branching close to the ground, the Cornelian Cherry is usually grown as a small tree with multiple trunks and tends to shade out any grass growing beneath it. As it grows, the branches tend to droop and the crown develops a round shape.

The flowers are yellow but small and are borne in umbels (groups) providing a showy display, especially against a dark background. Flowering occurs in late winter to early spring -- definitely a time of year when color is appreciated in the landscape. The flowers are followed by oval red or yellow fruit that attract birds. While not very palatable to humans, the fruit can be used to make jelly or syrup.

The fall color is sometimes red to purple-red, but is usually not spectacular. The Cornelian Cherry is not as dramatic as its cousins, but its early yellow flowers, exfoliating gray-brown to dark brown bark, small size and typically multiple-stemmed trunk make it a good choice for use in the landscape.

Don't use only one type of dogwood to "paint" your landscape. Consider the Kousa or Cornelian Cherry dogwoods. They can make a pretty picture too.

* Marianne C. Ophardt is a horticulturist for the Washington State University Cooperative Extension Office in Benton County.