his spring Deb and I have  been enjoying the graceful layered form and eye-popping gold leaf color of our Golden Shadows Pagoda Dogwood.  In addition to aesthetically pleasing branch architecture, the bright gold variegated leaves of our Golden Shadows Pagoda Dogwood add an intense color burst to our spring garden that rivals that of our Northern Sun Forsythia tree that just finished its bloom cycle.

Golden Shadows Pagoda Dogwood is a large shrubs / small tree that looks to us as if it will be slightly smaller than the common Pagoda Dogwood – likely maturing to about 8′-10′ feet in ten years.  

The bright gold variegation of the new leaves each spring will light up the garden for about 5-6 weeks, and gradually turn to a more muted yellow/green as he heat of summer sets in.  Even when the bright gold has faded, our Golden Shadows Pagoda Dogwood continues to add an artistic element to our garden with its angular layered branch structure that is almost sculptured.

For best results, place your Golden Shadows Pagoda Dogwood in a part sun / part shade location with good drainage, fertile soil, low deer pressure, and most importantly, winter shade.  If your Golden Shadows receives some direct sun part of the day from the high angled summer sun, but has long winter shadows from trees or a structure that spares it from intense winter sun exposure, it will likely prosper.  It appears that Golden Shadows Pagoda Dogwoods can handle our cold winter temperatures and hot humid summers just fine, but have thin bark that can sunburn if direct winter sun bounces off snowbanks onto the stems.  Even the partial shade of the bare branches of shade trees in the winter will be enough to protect the Golden Shadows Pagoda Dogwood.  Total winter shade does not appear to be necessary.

We have Golden Shadow Pagoda Dogwoods in three sizes and in somewhat limited quantities.