Chinese dogwood in flower

Chinese (kousa) dogwood (Cornus kousa) is a small spring flowering dogwood. Kousa blooms about 2 – 3 weeks after our native flowering dogwood (C. florida) has finished. Lustrous dark green leaves begin to emerge a week or two before the lovely pointed 3- inch white bracted flowers. Fall leaf color is purplish red and not quite as vibrant as C. florida. Its patchy exfoliating bark is a winter asset which gets better as the tree ages. The fleshy raspberry fruits are not a popular food source with birds and four legged critters in the fall.

Evergreen kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa var. angustata) is  a variant also listed as Cornus angustata. Angustata forms a shorter tree with narrow pale green evergreen foliage is reliably evergreen in USDA zones 7-b and 8, and takes-on a purple wintry tint in zones 6-b and 7-a. The tree is deciduous in zone 6-a and further north. Protection from winter winds may retain the autumn foliage longer. Angustata mature tree height averages 20-25% smaller than the species.

Plant in part shade and in well-drained compost rich soil in southerly climes of zones 7-b and 8 and in full sun further north. Angustata is only moderately tolerant of summer heat and humidity and should be irrigated during periods of extreme drought.

Two evergreen cultivars are:

• Empress of China®, introduced by John Elsley, flowers abundantly in mid to late May.
• ‘First Choice’, a selection from JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, NC.  has good flowering and growth rate.