Cornus kousa
Kousa dogwood
Common names: Japanese flowering dogwood
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Hardiness
- Hardy
- Pruning
- Feb–Mar
- Flowering
- Jun
Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) is a large ornamental shrub or small tree that makes a striking appearance in early summer. In June, often around mid‑June (week 24), large white to cream‑colored bracts surround the tiny flowers, creating a star‑shaped butterfly effect in the foliage. Late summer produces strawberry‑like, red‑spotted fruits that are edible raw and taste mildly sweet to slightly starchy. In autumn the plant displays a vivid color transition from orange to deep purple before the leaves fall. Its layered growth habit makes it a focal point as a solitary specimen in a front garden or along a garden edge.
Care instructions
Plant the Kousa dogwood in a semi‑shaded to sunny spot that is wind‑protected, ideally in autumn between October and November (weeks 40‑46) so it can establish roots before winter. The soil should be humus‑rich, loose, and slightly acidic to neutral; heavy, water‑logged soils are unsuitable, so a drainage layer of gravel is recommended when planting. Water young plants regularly for the first two years, especially during dry summer weeks; mature shrubs with established roots generally need no additional watering. Pruning is rarely necessary; remove only dead or crossing branches in late winter to maintain the layered form. A mulch layer of leaf or bark humus helps retain moisture around the roots and protects young plants from frost.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringJun
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, moist, humus-rich, lime-avoiding
The kousa dogwood likes it loose and humus-rich, ideally improved with some leaf or bark compost. It tolerates waterlogging poorly, but even moisture very well. It avoids strongly chalky soils; a slightly acidic to neutral pH between 5.0 and 6.5 suits it best.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Mar, May
A dose of mature compost in early spring is usually enough for the whole season. If you like, also mulch with leaf compost or bark humus, which keeps the moisture in and supplies nutrients gradually. At the end of May, when new growth is complete, you may mulch lightly once more.
Pruning
The kousa dogwood naturally grows nicely evenly and needs hardly any pruning. In late winter it is enough to take out dead or crossing wood so that the crown stays open. Formative pruning is not necessary, but the plant forgives larger interventions if they are done while it is leafless.
Overwintering
The kousa dogwood is quite hardy in Central Europe and needs no special protection as an established shrub. Freshly planted specimens appreciate a layer of mulch over the root zone in the first one or two winters. A sheltered site without icy east wind is good for the flower buds.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
- Layering
- Grafting
The most reliable way to propagate it is from semi-hardwood cuttings in summer, which root in free-draining substrate under film. Layering also works well: score a shoot close to the ground, press it into the soil and weigh it down until it forms its own roots. Grafted varieties are grafted in winter onto rootstocks of the wild species; this takes some practice, but ensures true-to-type offspring.
For your garden
Grow Kousa dogwood yourself
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