Before I became a member of these forums, I already knew about the UBC and had visited these forums off an on since around the year 2003. I was still, at that time, not all that wanting to join any more online forums of any kind for a long while. There were some posts in these forums that later interested me and I felt that two gentleman's posts in particular were truly excellent. I went through and read many of their posts in these forums and felt that they were people I could learn from even when I was down on certain plants then and to some extent I still am. There are two posts by Douglas that are now in this newly and most welcome Dogwood forum that I felt were exceptional when I first read them. I still feel that way and wish for more just like them. I can argue specific aspects of certain details in those posts as the content relates to us here but why do it when the content is right on the mark. There needs to be a better melding of the scientific knowledge with a nurseryman's accrued point of view from years of dealing with a particular plant. That will happen in time. Dogwoods can be a most difficult plant to grow. We've had our share of problems with these plants that many areas do not have to experience. Then again from one of Douglas' posts it becomes even more apparent that the East Coast of the US have had their fair share of problems that other areas do not generally have. For us here in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range we seldom see Anthracnose on our native Dogwoods, Cornus nuttallii. Our native trees are subject to drought conditions probably far more so than most areas so our trees here have to better adapt to our growing conditions than other areas. For varieties of Cornus florida grown here on the Valley floor or in the foothills and mountain ranges, we are much more susceptible to Dogwood blight which is without question the leading killer of our Dogwoods in the ground and grown in containers. There are some growing tricks we have learned along the way to have a better chance of sustaining the plant but they have all been learned from first hand knowledge and from analyzing the plants that have perished before us. From a nurseryman's point of view we will generally know how to grow the plant for our conditions better than someone from a scientific background. That is not to say that the people from the scientific community do not know how to grow the plant but the problematic area that comes to the forefront is that book knowledge tells us one thing but the book knowledge may not be enough to know in order to actively grow the plant and sustain it. Dogwoods has to be a hands on growing plant and some of us, myself included, came from a scientific background and lost several plants due to our over zealousness, being too hard headed and thinking what the good books tells us is enough to be able to grow this plant. We have learned the hard way that Dogwoods can be a most temperamental plant to grow and sustain. Dogwoods are one of my most favorite of all the flowering trees. I have been growing them for over 24 years and I am still learning the do's and the don'ts of growing them. I am not sure I can be much help in this forum but I will suggest that when people make their posts about the Dogwood not flowering, or the blighted growth or even why the petals of the flowers have stuck together and will not open, it will be rather important for us to try to help to know which Dogwood you are referencing. A white Dogwood question tells me nothing as the first thing I say to myself is how many Dogwoods do not have a white flower? I've seen nuttalliii have a pink border just like Cornus florida 'Jackie' has so I've seen some exceptions to the norm but I cannot help much if I do not know which Dogwood the plant is in question. Thank you guys so much from the UBC for the advent of this most important, to me at least, forum! Jim