Blooms heavily and grows to 25' tall with a vase shape. Kousa dogwood develops colorful, peeling bark in shades of tans and browns which lend great character to the tree. It has leaves when it flowers, which make an attractive backdrop. C. capitata (Evergreen Dogwood) ‘Mountain Moon’: Height up to 12 metres (40 ft). Leaves are dark green, contrasting markedly with the cream white flowers. Bloom occurs in late spring. This is made up of a cluster of tiny flowers. One of our favourite deciduous trees in our garden is the Cornus kousa dogwood. Warm summers seem to dull the color and many plants bloom light pink or white-pink. Small and late-flowering kousa dogwoods (Cornus kousa) are slow growers, but the results they produce are worth your efforts to grow them. In spring, alongside Japanese maples and evergreen trees, they are perfect companions to rhododendrons and azaleas. The rind of the berries is usually discarded because it has a bitter taste, although it is edible. They are a delicate vision at twilight in late spring. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Kousa varieties grow more upright, vase shaped with 2-4" wide flowers May to June that produce red raspberry like fruit in fall. The fruit is sometimes used for making wine. There are two recognized subspecies / varieties: Hybrids between C. kousa and C. florida (Cornus × rutgersensis Mattera, T. Molnar, & Struwe) and C. kousa and C. florida (Cornus × elwinortonii Mattera, T. Molnar, & Struwe) have been created by Rutgers University. Height: 20 ft Width: 15 ft Flower Color: Pink. Inconspicuous white or pink bracted flowers appear in spring. The Dogwood Tree is a majestic ornamental, well adapted to life in the United States. It performs best planted in moist but well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral soil that is rich in organic matter. [9], It is resistant to the dogwood anthracnose disease, caused by the fungus Discula destructiva, unlike C. florida, which is very susceptible and commonly killed by it; for this reason, C. kousa is being widely planted as an ornamental tree in areas affected by the disease.[7]. Variegated form with leaves that show a light marbling of green, gold and light pink that turns mostly green with age. In fall ‘Mandarin Jewel’ produces unusual bright orange fruit. As long as you offer the tree plenty of water and sunshine, like most plants, the Dogwood will do just fine. Flowering dogwood is an Ohio native with a rounded crown and strong horizontal branching covered in 3-4" wide flowers April to May. It thrives in zones 5-9. Excellent as a feature tree and with its small growing habit it can be used in smaller gardens. As the Kousa Dogwood matures, it branches out horizontally and becomes more wide-spreading. The Japanese Dogwood, Cornus kousa is a deciduous tree with masses of brilliant white to pink flowers in spring. The White Kousa is known for its unique look, peeling bark, and epic white leaves that have the appearance of blooms. The flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is the species most people think of when the word dogwood is mentioned.Although it is considered one of the favorite trees in the south, there are two other species, kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) and Cornelian cherry dogwood (Cornus mas), which will grow in all areas of South Carolina except along the coast from Charleston to Savannah, Ga. And like other trees that are native to Japan, they showcase an extremely graceful form. Summer Gardening To Do List However, a light pruning to remove awkward branches may encourage a better shape and increase air circulation if there is overcrowding. 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