Why are dogwoods so special in Knoxville?

Jack Coker
·2 min read

In 1947, the respected journalist John Gunther described Knoxville as the “ugliest city I ever saw in America, with the possible exception of some mill towns in New England.”

Those words, as much as we like to make light of them, struck us to our core. From that moment forward, Knoxvillians have fought to beautify our scruffy city, with none doing more work than the humble dogwood tree.

The dogwood tree is a native species to our area, with the pink variety being discovered behind Chilhowee Park and cultivated by Howell Nurseries, now the Knoxville Botanical Gardens. More recently, the University of Tennessee developed several new dogwood trees that are resistant to the fungal diseases that have grown in prevalence.

The dogwood name supposedly originated in Europe, from the process of boiling the bark in water to be used for washing dogs that had mange. The dogwood tree is more famous for its blooms than its namesake purpose, however, which made it a target of the beautification efforts of the 1950s.

A dogwood tree blooms on Gibbs Drive during the Dogwood Arts kickoff of trails, open gardens, and camera sites March 29, 2023. According to Dogwood Arts, the dogwood trails began in 1955 as part of a beautification project in response to journalist John Gunther writing in 1947 that "Knoxville is the ugliest city I ever saw in America."
A dogwood tree blooms on Gibbs Drive during the Dogwood Arts kickoff of trails, open gardens, and camera sites March 29, 2023. According to Dogwood Arts, the dogwood trails began in 1955 as part of a beautification project in response to journalist John Gunther writing in 1947 that "Knoxville is the ugliest city I ever saw in America."

In response to Gunther’s remarks, members of the Knoxville Garden Club including Betsey Creekmore, Martha Ashe and Betsy Goodson, established the Dogwood Trails in 1955. The trails now cover more than 90 miles in 13 neighborhoods throughout the city. From their opening this year on April 1 until they close April 30, people are encouraged to enjoy the scenic natural beauty of the trails.

Continuing the mission of the Dogwood Trails is the Dogwood Arts Bazillion Blooms program. This endeavor makes it very easy for Knoxville residents to add a dogwood tree to their property, furthering our beautification efforts. The trees this year where provided by the Dogwood Arts Festival for $25 each. More than 14,500 dogwood trees have been added to our community in just 14 years through the Bazillion Blooms program.

The dogwood tree has become one of the most enduring symbols for Knoxville. It represents what we know to be true, that our scruffy little city is the most beautiful place in the world, no matter what anyone says.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why are dogwood trees so special in Knoxville, Tennessee