Little Ruby is a dwarf, hybrid cultivar in the dogwood family (Cornaceae) that was developed as a collaborative project by NC State University and the NC Nursery & Landscape Association with support from the Kenan Institute and the NC Biotechnology Center. Its parentage is kousa dogwood, Cornus kousa ‘Miss Satomi’, and the evergreen C. hongkongensis ‘Summer Passion’. This tree can be grown as a multi-trunk shrub or trained as a tree and reaches 8 to 12 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide. It prefers average, well-drained garden soil in full sun to partial shade. It is more cold-hardy than most dogwoods, is disease-resistant and easy to grow. A truly unique new dogwood with a compact form and semi-evergreen foliage that sports a red flush on young leaves, followed by a dark maroon fall color that lasts until the temperature drops below 15°F. Little Ruby has pink flower bracts that range from single to semi-double in the late spring. Use this small tree in the winter or cottage garden, as an understory tree, a specimen, a foundation plant or an accent. It is a great choice for small yards. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology,” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheDeutziaSyringa pubescens subsp. pubescensViburnum x bodnantense
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Tree
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 8 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in. | Width: 6 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Semi-evergreen
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The heart-shaped leaves have reddish new growth that is green in summer and turns maroon in the fall. It holds onto its leaves until the temperatures drop below 15°F.
Flower color
Pink
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Solitary
Flower shape
Saucer
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Pink to dark pink flowers, often with more than the usual 4 bracts of most dogwoods.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Pink; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Small, reddish-pink, berry-like fruits
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
Attracts birds and bees
Attracts
Bees; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Drupe
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Lawn
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden; Winter Garden
Design feature
Accent; Flowering Tree; Foundation Planting; Specimen; Understory Tree
Garden tags
#semi-evergreen #winter interest #fall color #accent #specimen #small tree #full sun tolerant #spring flowers #shrub #winter garden #pink flowers #cottage garden #foundation planting #nci #partial shade tolerant