Budd’s yellow dogwood is notable for its bright yellow stems, which add winter interest to the garden. The plant produces creamy white flowers in spring, giving way to white fruit in the summer that is favored by birds. Most gardeners do renewal or rejuvenation pruning of this shrub in early spring, because the younger stems provide the best color.

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.