Easter Dogwood

Undoubtedly the Legend of the Dogwood holds a special place in my heart as my beloved Grandfather mailed me a postcard from a business trip when I was a wee little girl, and the front of the card bore a photo of a dogwood tree, and next to the photo was this very same legend, which persists today.

In Jesus’ time, the dogwood grew
To a stately size and a lovely hue.
‘Twas strong and firm it’s branches interwoven
For the cross of Christ its timbers were chosen.
Seeing the distress at this use of their wood
Christ made a promise which still holds good:
“Never again shall the dogwood grow
Large enough to be used so.
Slender and twisted, it shall be
With blossoms like the cross for all to see.
As blood stains the petals marked in brown
The blossom’s center wears a thorny crown.
All who see it will remember Me
Crucified on a cross from the dogwood tree.
Cherished and protected, this tree shall be
A reminder to all of my agony.” –Author unknown

At Eastertime, when dogwood trees in blossom abound in many regions, it is understandable that the legend would be revisited, as I have done today. It is a very beautiful tree and when I went in search of them this morning, I was certainly not disappointed. Indeed, many of the old homes near my own were bursting with their beauty. I offer them here for your pleasure.

As I spotted the green dogwood above I literally dragged a small ladder out of my car, placed it on someone’s lawn, climbed up and started shooting. Yes, I did. I noticed almost immediately a closed blind being peeked through, not surprisingly, and a minute later an older well appointed woman came out on the porch to see what I was about. “I’m a gardening blogger. I’m shooting your dogwood.” She seemed charmed enough and immediately was happy to volunteer that she had planted the tree many decades before from a wee small pot, she said. She assured me it was “a native plant” that a gentleman friend had brought to her and her husband after hearing “she liked plants.” It had apparently been growing on a large plot of land he had bought “for the wood” she said. The tree was the largest dogwood I had ever seen, nor was I aware that some bore pale green blossoms. It was quite extraordinary and I think the woman was very pleased I recognized its beauty.

Continuing my quest, here are more I found close by! It’s amazing what you see once you start looking for something with intention.

May you have the most blessed of Easter celebrations with your family and friends.

Love and holiday blessings,
Kathryn xoxo

27 Responses to “Easter Dogwood”

  1. They’re Gorgeous! ๐Ÿ™‚ lol to you on your ladder in someone’s yard!!

    Happy Easter Weekend, All!

    Love you,
    Antonia
    xoxox

  2. How lovely! My post today, traditional for Good Friday, also included ‘The Legend of the Dogwood’ with simple ‘past ‘ photos of my dogwood (that has not yet bloomed). Easter blessings, dear Kathryn.

  3. They are so beautiful. We have four mature ones in our garden that were planted here by previous owners. I love the pink one too. There is one of those that grows down the street from us.

  4. Hi, Antonia, I’m so looking forward to spending Easter Sunday with you! Much love, Mom xoxo

  5. Hi, dear Joey! I am not a bit surprised other gardeners will be posting about the legend of the dogwood. How lucky that you have one on your property. I will come visit your blog. ๐Ÿ™‚ Love, Kathryn xoxo

  6. Hi, Phillip–How fortunate to have inherited four dogwoods! Lucky! Happy Easter! Kathryn xoox

  7. Hi Kathryn~
    This is the second time today & actually the first that I had heard this story of the dogwood. Of course, you would be the one solidifying the story. I honestly hadn’t heard it before today.
    AND Angeles says hello & sends her love. On Wed I happened to sit 2 seats away from her, which is not something I would normally do. And we had our first chance before class to speak to each other. She asked about something that had been going on in my life & I responded. And then I got a chance to speak about meeting you. Her ears & her heart perked up right away that I had made a connection w/ you. Her eyes just lit up at the mention of you & of Antonia. It was brief & yet it was so deep!

  8. Thanks for reminding us again of the lovely dogwood legend and sharing these gorgeous photos, Kathryn! I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love these entrancing plants! But I’m very intrigued by the green dogwood, since it has six-“petaled” (actually sepaled) flowers instead of four. Wonder what it could be?!! It certainly is handsome! A blessed Easter to you andf yours!

  9. Good morning, Cyndee! This is the dearest recounting. Thank you for sharing. Yes, we love Angeles very much and she is a part of our daily guidance, through her teachings, regardless of how often we meet or speak. She will always be a part of us. So happy to know you are benefitting from her wisdom! Happy Easter, dear! Kathryn xoxo

  10. Dear Our Friend Ben, I am getting the BIGGEST giggle out of your comment! LOL! So astute of you to notice the numbers of petals. In my still partial dreamstate I’m going to give a very right brain answer (since I don’t know the left-brain answer!). I’m going to go with the charming woman’s explanation that this is a NATIVE dogwood. (She did distinguish, you will recall.) And that prior to the present day dogwood there were six petals on the one that lived hidden among the forests. It was transformed long ago when it was chosen to be the cross of our beloved Jesus, healer, teacher, saviour. And in its having been chosen for this sacred task it transformed itself into a four petaled being, four being the number of directions the cross would point, and scarred it’s four petals with a subtle splash of red or pink to remind us of that day. I’m going with that. ๐Ÿ™‚ Big hug for your careful observation. Maybe someone else knows more and will write in. Happy Easter, dear. Kathryn xoxo

  11. Happy Easter, Kathryn. I’m hoping Minnesota will catch up to the beauty you’ve shown.

    Pati

  12. Hi, Pati, Happy Easter to you! I’m with you in your wishes for Minnesota to be warm and full of blossoming flowers and sunshine! May it soon be so. ๐Ÿ™‚ Kathryn xoxo

  13. what a lovely sight this Easter morning…thank you for sharing your quest with us…I admire your tenacity to get these shots and that you carry a ladder in your car for just such moments of glory! well worth every moment of tugging the thing out of the trunk!!

    blessings to you…

  14. Welcome, Linda! Sometimes you just have to get up HIGH! ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks for your lovely comment. Appreciated and glad you liked the post. Kathryn xoxo

  15. Beautiful photos for a beautiful season. I hope your Easter was lovely, Kathryn. ๐Ÿ™‚

  16. Good morning, Nancy! Thank you for your well wishes. Easter was very special with darling daughter. Kathryn xoxo

  17. Hi Kathryn,

    I’ve been participating in the Problogger 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge and found your blog through Alltop. Your spin on the whole topic of gardening broadened my horizons from thinking gardening blogs were about how-to grow or where-to go. Love your ability to weave a variety of topics together into a story. I made sure to write about your blog in my BBB Day 4 post here: http://curiosityquotient.blogspot.com/2009/04/day-4-of-bbb-challenge-analyze-top-blog.html.

  18. Love your dogwood photos…..and your title ‘Plant what brings you joy’….perfect recipe for a beautiful garden!

  19. Jennifer, welcome and thank you so very much for your kind thoughts about Plant Whatever Brings You Joy! I have, indeed, stretched the concept to include a wide variety of interpretations. Did you notice tagline at bottom of blog? Heart+Meaning=Joy! Planting is the ultimate metaphor, I do believe. ๐Ÿ™‚ I appreciate your including me in your blog challenge, and for your bringing my attention to same. Do come back! ๐Ÿ™‚ And best wishes for your own blog adventure. Kathryn xoxo

  20. Warm welcome, Linda! “Perfect recipe for a beautiful garden” is about as lovely a comment as I have seen. Thank you so much! Kathryn xoxo

  21. It’s amazing what you find when you are out there hunting for it! Great pictures! Thanks for sharing.

  22. Welcome, Red Clover! So glad you enjoyed the dogwood photos! It was fun tracking them down! Kathryn xoxo

  23. I too love the Dogwood story about Christ. We had 3 dog woods in our yard until today. I had one that was to close to the house and saddly dieing. When my husband was cutting it down. I had to go in the house, I could not watch. As he was cutting he found something so special. It has a heart shape in the wood of one of the limbs. Have you heard of anything like this? I have not heard a story that saids anything about it. Please let me know.

  24. Welcome, Kristy. I’m sorry you had to lose one of your dogwoods. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how much room a plant will need when it’s grown and then you (and the plant) have a problem on your hands. Been there. I have never heard that the dogwood has a heart shape inside its limbs but that certainly does add to the mystique, doesn’t it? Thank you so much for letting me and my readers know! Lucky you to have seen that. Kathryn xoxo

  25. I was visiting my daughter in Pollock Pines Calif. and all the beautifull white Dogwoods had both 4 and 6 petaled flowers on the same tree. I thought that unusual.
    Loved your Pictures! Regards, Barbara

  26. Welcome, Barbara! This is fascinating! I so appreciate your sharing this information with us! Obviously I need to research dogwoods more! Thanks! Kathryn xoxo

  27. Years later, and I’ve at last discovered the name of that greenish dogwood. It’s a Pacific dogwood, a native plant. Thanks to Jessi Bloom for posting this information this evening!

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