Cornus kousa

Chinese dogwood

Cornus kousa originates in Japan and western China. The kousa, which grows out to a shrub or small tree, is really a plant which adds to your garden throughout the seasons. First of all, the kousa has a flowering period from the end of May until the beginning of July, which is rather long for a blossoming shrub. Because it blossoms quite late, the chance of it being affected by late night frost is minimal. The flowers of the kousa derive their beauty mainly from their four cream white bracts. These bracts surround the flowers, which are about 0.5 cm in diameter and are concentrated in screens of approximately 1-2 cm. The flower is positioned at the end of a 5 cm long stem, which nicely puts the flowers above the green foliage of the kousa. The kousa usually flowers quite abundantly; sometimes the flowers are so numerous that the green leaves completely disappear behind them. Flower buds are created in summertime and remain visible throughout autumn and winter as thick buds. The flowers appear in springtime, together with the leaves. Until the end of May, however, they are hardly noticeable and remain green. Only when they reach their final size, the flowers turn cream white.

Cornus kousa (bloom)

After flowering, strawberry-like fruit appears, with a diameter of about 2.5 cm. These berries are bright orange and cannot be missed. The fruit hangs from 5cm long stems and will fall off after a few weeks. The berries are edible and make a nice jam. The ripe berries have yellow pulp, and are very popular with the birds. The regular Cornus kousa is reproduced by seeding, which means that it may take a few years before it will flower. The flowering intensity may vary through the years, which is caused mainly by the weather conditions of the previous summer. If you can't wait, you're better of with one of kousa's cultivars, which blossom at earlier ages and have a higher flowering probability. Cultivars are reproduced by grafting, which will result in a somewhat higher price.

(In fall applied flower button)

Cornus kousa's leaves are oval-shaped and turn form light green in spring to dark green in summer. Come autumn, the leaves turn a spectacular red/orange. Young twigs are greyish brown, but after a few years all thicker branches develop a very characteristic bark texture. Eventually, the Cornus kousa may grow out to a large shrub or small tree of about 4-6m high. Young plants have a vase-like growth habit, but as they grow older the branches start to hang and the plant develops into a shape with multiple levels. Trimming the kousa is strongly discouraged, especially in the case of thicker and older branches. Large wounds will only slowly heal and offer an entry point to all kinds of fungi, which eventually may kill your Cornus.

Cornus kousa