Milky Way Chinese dogwood gets its name from the abundance of white flower bracts that cover this bushy small tree or large shrub in late spring. The flowers are followed by red fruit beloved by birds. Fall foliage is a colorful red orange. This cultivar is one of the most popular dogwoods in commerce.

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 (7 of which are native) and over 2,400 plants.