Stunning in all four seasons! If you love Flowering Dogwoods, you’ll adore the late-blooming Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa). It’s a wonderfully showy small native tree that blooms weeks later than other Dogwoods. The blooms range from pure white to delicate light pink and they last and last!
Kousa slowly grows into a lovely, small deciduous tree. It is sometimes called the Japanese, Korean, or Chinese Dogwood. And like other trees that are native to Japan, they showcase an extremely graceful form. Kousa Dogwood has a horizontal branching structure that reaches all the way to the base, forming a natural pyramidal shape!
Dark green leaves will appear in early spring, but the real show starts in late spring. Pointed, 4-petaled white bracts surround the small flower clusters. These specialized leaf bracts are quite rugged and can withstand strong winds and rain. Kousa Dogwoods are very showy for a long period of time as the flower bracts are showy longer than most flowers. They’ll give you up to a month of display!
The flowers precede the red fruit, which looks like a raspberry. Some people make jellies, jams, and wine from the rounded, red berries. Or, leave the red-colored fruit for songbirds! They’ll be happy to snap them up for you without any muss or fuss.
As fall approaches, Kousa Dogwood has another trick up its sleeve. The leaves transform into a vibrant reddish-purple splash of fall color for your landscape. Then, in winter, the bark on older trees exfoliates to reveal a beautifully patterned texture. This is a great feature in the coldest months. Use exterior landscape lighting to point a spotlight or two up into the canopy. You’ll enjoy this tree year-round.
Planting and Application:There are two ways you can grow Kousa in your yard. Either way, you’ll enjoy this beautiful tree!
The first is to remove the lower branches and expose the trunk. You’ll create an excellent small accent tree. The second is to leave the lower branches intact and enjoy this as a wonderfully tall, shrubby screen. This tree would look stunning planted in small groupings along a mixed border. It creates a marvelous focal point in a backyard or as an anchor for a foundation planting.
Use Kousa as a single specimen tree or as part of an informal grouping in larger yards. They look magnificent when paired with other Flowering Dogwoods in a berm planting. The Kousa extends the season of bloom through early summer and attracts pollinators galore! You’ll love showing this gem off as a street tree!
The second way to grow Kousa is as large shrubs with their limbs remaining all the way to the ground! They make big beautiful screening plants! On large properties, you could space them 10-15 feet apart (measuring from trunk to trunk) as a large privacy screen. Mix with other trees, including evergreens to create a healthy, diverse environment. Songbirds and wildlife will love taking shelter in these gorgeous shelterbelts!
Try them along the back of a mixed border. They’ll work hard to give you a much-welcomed showy structure with smaller shrubs and perennials placed in front of them. Kousa is an excellent smaller tree for use near a patio or courtyard area. Rest assured, there will be interest generated in all seasons!
White or Light Pink Flower Bracts Last for Weeks!
Blooms Weeks Later Than Other Flowering Dogwoods
Exfoliating Bark Brings Winter Interest
Superior Red & Purple Fall Color
Birds Adore the Edible Red Fruit
4 Seasons of Interest, Shade, Specimens & Spring Color
#ProPlantTips for Care:They will really flourish in evenly moist, slightly acidic soil. Dogwood Trees like Kousa also needs well-drained soil, so if your soil holds water for a long time, “mound up”. To do that, simply add an additional 18 – 24 inches of soil above your soil line. Plant directly into the mound. They’ll handle full sun and partial sun equally well but be sure to keep them well watered. They do not like to get dried out. Place mulch in a 3-4 inch layer around the plant to cover the root system. Prune in the late winter or very early spring while the tree is dormant to remove crossing branches and correct size.
This particular Dogwood Tree has a better disease tolerance than many other flowering Dogwoods and is generally hardy and easy to care for. Deer won’t like this tree, but birds certainly will… and so will you!
More Cold-Hardy Than Other Flowering Dogwoods
Full Sun & Partial/Afternoon Shade
Needs Well-Drained Acidic Soil
Moderate Regular Moisture
Prune When Dormant
Good Disease Resistance & Deer Don’t Seem to Like Kousa
Showy bracts in late spring, food for the birds, super red and purple fall color, and phenomenal bark on older stems as the plant age – no wonder they are so popular! Order a Kousa Dogwood Tree today from Nature Hills, you’ll love this showy ornamental!
Frequently Asked QuestionsHow big does a Flowering Dogwood get?The Kousa Dogwood is a flowering ornamental native that can grow 20 – 30 feet tall and wide.
Do Flowering Dogwoods like sun or shade?
The Kousa Dogwood Dogwood tree does best in full sun and partial shade, preferring afternoon shade in warmer growing zones.
Where is the best place to plant a Flowering Dogwood?
Kousa Dogwood Dogwood Trees do best in very well-drained acidic soil in a sunny location. They prefer consistent moisture and mulched, organic beds.
Are Dogwood Trees messy?
No! Dogwood trees are deciduous trees that will drop leaves and the fruit in the fall. But these leaves are easy to rake and the fruit is carried off by birds.
What Shipping Options Do You Offer?
NatureHills.com works closely with our growers and nursery professionals to ensure we ship when it is most appropriate for your area. Our goal is to deliver the hardiest plants by avoiding extreme high and low temperatures. Check out our shipping schedule for more information and to learn our wills and won’ts when it comes to shipping plants. Find your Dogwood Trees for sale here at NatureHills.com!
