The Tree for ALl Seasons

Trees are covered with starry flowers in early summer.

The real flower sits in the centre of the bracts.

Kousa dogwoods tolerate partial shade.

Their white bracts take on pink tones as the age.

Their dangling red berries resemble strawberries.

Flower buds form in the autumn.

Autumn colours don't disappoint.

A healthy mature kousa dogwood.

Kousa dogwoods have interesting silhouettes.

Their fall foliage offer a kaleidoscope of colours.

Kousa dogwood flowers bear four pointed bracts that resemble petals.

Common Name:  kousa dogwood, strawberry tree, Chinese dogwood, Japanese dogwood
Botanical Name:  Cornus kousa
Form:    upright tree with a vase to rounded canopy
Family:  Cornaceae
Genus:  Cornus
Species:  kousa
Plant Type: deciduous tree, multi-stemmed shrub
Mature Size:  15’-30’ tall, canopy spread 15’-30’  
Origin:  China, Japan, Korea
Hardiness Zone: 5 to 8
Foliage:  droopy, dark green, oval pointed 4”, simple, opposite, wavy margins, red & purple fall colours
Flowers: May-June, 4 white pointed bracts that turn pink with age surround yellow-green true flowers
Fruit: showy, red, 1 inch wide, compound berry, edible, persist until fall
Stems/trunk:  tan and grey mottled, peeling bark on mature trees
Growth Rate: slow
Exposure:  full to part shade
Soil:  humus rich, medium moisture, well-drained, mulch, avoid dry soil in summer
Uses:  specimen, accent, small gardens, wildlife gardens
Attracts: butterflies, birds like the fruit
Invasive Tendencies: none
Tolerates: deers, is resistant to dogwood anthracnose.
Propagation:   hardwood cuttings, seeds
Pruning:  winter if necessary
​Problems:  messy fruit
Cultivars: Milky Way, Blue Shadow, Moonbeam, Satomi, Gold Cup, Gold Star, Greensleeves

Comments: 
The kousa dogwood, Cornus kousa, is a handsome, small to medium tree that has something to offer every season. The tree’s most impressive display begins in early summer when their white flowers emerge en mass atop the tree’s canopy. Their blossoms are followed by flashy red berries that dangle down like ornaments. In autumn, kousa dogwoods continue to impress with purple, red and yellow fall foliage. Once the leaves are shed, their exquisite peeling and coloured bark is revealed. It’s truly a tree for all seasons.
 
Kousa dogwoods are either grown as a tree or a multi-stemmed shrub. Either way, both have great form that changes with age. Immature kousas are vase shaped but they become rounder with a spreading canopy as they age.
 
Cornus kousas are a good size for small and urban gardens reaching a sensible height of 15 ft to 30 ft. tall with an equally sized canopy.
Flowering begins in May or June. These same flowers remain on the plant throughout the summer. Technically, their white petals are not petals at all, but modified foliage called bracts. The true flowers are an inconspicuous greenish yellow in the middle of the bracts. When the true flowers fall off, the bracts remain for many weeks. As they age, the white bracts slowly turn pink.
 
By late summer, bright red, 1-inch berries take the place of the flowers. They are quite showy, and about the same size & colour of strawberries, that’s why kousa dogwoods are often referred to as the strawberry tree. The fruit are edible, albeit not delicious, but they make good jam, pies, muffins and other baked goods.  The birds like them too.
 
Kousa dogwoods have another trick up their sleeve; they also look great in winter. It’s not just because they have great bones, their bark evolves into a patchwork quilt of different colours and textures. As the tree continues to mature its bark becomes shaggy and mottled with patches of beige, grey and green.  
 
Growing Kousa Dogwoods
Cornus kousas are more cold hardy and have better resistance to dogwood anthracnose than other dogwoods.
Kousa dogwoods are generally disease and pest-free when grown in the correct conditions and given the right care. For example, wet soils promote root rot and other diseases. Dry soil and wet foliage results in powdery mildew.

Place kousa dogwoods in a sunny location or lightly shaded area. Avoid areas that receive hot direct sun in the afternoon. They flourish in acidic well-drained soil, but dislike it if it’s soggy. Alternately, they are prone to leaf scorch during the heat of summer if the soil is too dry.
 
Fruit Warning: Note that the dropped fruit are messy. Yellow jackets are attracted to their rotting fallen fruit. Self seeds but not prolifically and it’s not invasive.  
 
Kousa vs Flowering Dogwood
Kousa and flowering dogwoods (Cornus florida) look alike and are often confused. To tell them apart note that Kousa dogwoods flower a month later than flowering dogwoods and it’s more upright plus the flowers have pointed not rounded flower bracts. Only the kousa dogwood bears the fancy 1”, dimpled, red strawberry-like fruit. The flowering dogwood’s berry is much smaller and shiny.

Their colourful fruit is used to make jam and other edibles.

Peeling, colourful bark adds to winter gardens.

Kousa dogwoods are suitable for urban gardens.