BATON ROUGE™ Tatarian dogwood is a compact form of this multi-stemmed shrub with a bushy habit and strong growth. Small white flowers in spring give way to whitish blue fruit in summer. Its medium green foliage turns reddish purple in fall. As with other cultivars of Cornus alba, the strongest visual display comes from the bright red stems that hold their color all winter.

Members of the genus Cornus, commonly known as dogwoods, are welcome in the home garden for their multi-season interest -- be it flowers, fruit, foliage and/or bark -- and their range of forms from small trees to suckering shrubs. The dominant display, however, varies among the species.

Dogwoods are native to cooler temperate areas of North America and Asia. The genus includes 45-60 species, divided into subgenera about which taxonomists disagree. The Chicago Botanic Garden's collection includes almost 100 varieties of dogwood from 20 species (seven of which are native) and over 2,400 plants.