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Cornus kousa
Magnificence is commonly unfairly related to fragility, however the kousa dogwood completely destroys that stereotype.
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Because of the flowering dogwood’s well-known vulnerability to illness and pests, it’s simple to imagine that each dogwood is simply as prone.
However Cornus kousa has no such weak spot. In truth, its toughness within the face of an infection and infestation is what makes this tree so worthwhile, particularly right here in the USA.
Not that its look isn’t a significant asset.
I’d argue that, in a magnificence contest, the kousa dogwood would give the flowering dogwood a critical run for its cash.
It has the total bundle: beautiful blooms, fabulous fruits, beautiful leaves, and a incredible type.
As with every plant, rising this tree takes specialised information. Good factor we packaged it up in a palatable rising information for you!
Right here’s a roadmap of the place we’re going with all this:
What Are Kousa Dogwood Timber?
Hardy in USDA Zones 5 to eight, the kousa dogwood hails from China, Japan, and Korea.
This tree belongs to the Cornaceae household and the Cornus genus, alongside flowering C. florida and C. mas, the Cornelian cherry.
Cornus – from cornu, which means “onerous” in Latin – refers back to the plant’s onerous wooden, whereas kousa is the Japanese phrase for “dogwood.”
C. kousa has a multi-stemmed behavior and reaches a mature top and unfold of 15 to 30 toes.
The behavior begins off vase-shaped and turns into extra rounded with age, with prominently layered branching.
These branches type distinctly horizontal traces, that are enticing in winter and supply a incredible distinction with the vertical traces of close by constructions.
The sleek and light-weight brown younger bark grays and peels with age, revealing mottled mosaics of tan, brown, and grey within the exfoliated patches. Basically, this tree has a sluggish development fee, particularly when it’s younger.
The easy, oppositely-arranged leaves are lance to oval formed, with typical dogwood-style leaf veins that originate from the midrib and meet on the sharply-pointed leaf suggestions.
The mature leaf colour is darkish inexperienced, and adjustments shades of reddish-purple to scarlet in autumn.
Lots of small, insignificant, yellowish-green flowers bloom in late Might to early June, surrounded by creamy white leaf bracts which might be usually confused for blossoms.
4-pointed, football-shaped bracts encircle every cluster of true flowers, and these are likely to pinken with age.
In late August to October, the flowers give solution to enticing pinkish-red to purple drupes, which resemble raspberries considerably in each dimension and type.
These fruits are borne on skinny stems, which additional promote the tasty-looking fruits to birds and squirrels.
This tree has two subspecies: kousa and chinensis. The previous is native to Japan and Korea, whereas the latter originates in China.
Basically, the Chinese language subspecies has a extra freely rising behavior and produces bigger flowers than the opposite subspecies.
Cultivation and Historical past
Initially discovered solely of their Asian international locations of origin, kousas are typically referred to by different frequent names similar to Japanese, Japanese flowering, Korean, and Chinese language dogwood.
First dropped at the US round 1875, these bushes at the moment are frequent in cultivation right here.
The kousa dogwood is proof against pests and ailments that pose an awesome hazard to C. florida, which makes it fairly ornamentally worthwhile.
Breeding C. kousa with C. florida, when accomplished efficiently, can lead to a hybrid cross that’s each stunning and much less vulnerable to well being issues.
Many kousa dogwood cultivars have entered the market, and a handful have obtained the Royal Horticultural Society’s prestigious Award of Backyard Advantage.
Together with its illness and pest resistance, C. kousa is valued in landscaping for its frost-resistance and relative chilly hardiness.
Plus, this tree’s berries are edible for people in addition to animals.
Positive, the rind is bitter, and the seeds could be a bit inconvenient to eat round, however the pulp is scrumptious. It may be used for making jams and jellies, and even eaten uncooked.
Propagation
As with most species of Cornus, it’s finest to propagate C. kousa from seed, by taking stem cuttings, or through transplanting.
These strategies are listed right here so as of descending problem. See our information to rising flowering dogwood for normal propagation info.
A side of seed propagation that’s distinctive to C. kousa lies in its fruits.
Fairly than producing a cluster of purple, olive-shaped berries that ripen in August, C. kousa has spherical, spiky fruits that hold from stems and end ripening by mid-September.
Moreover, its seeds are a bit bulkier and extra irregularly-shaped than these of C. florida.
How one can Develop
In my view, these bushes are too beautiful to develop in less-than-optimal circumstances.
A kousa dogwood must be planted in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to eight for optimum development and aesthetics. Moreover, it ought to ideally be located in full solar.
Having mentioned that, partial shade works as nicely. It’s additionally fairly cold- and frost-hardy for a Cornus, so don’t fret in case your planting web site toes the road between USDA Zones 4 and 5.
This tree wants to sit down in well-draining soil that’s extremely fertile, similar to sandy loam. Gentle acidity is one other should, so goal for a pH someplace within the 5.5 to six.5 vary.
It’s finest to take care of soil moisture by watering each time the highest inch of soil feels dry to the contact.
However this species is extra drought-resistant as soon as mature than most other forms of Cornus, so don’t stress in case you slack on the supplemental irrigation.
Including a number of inches of compost or well-rotted manure to the basis zone in springtime will assist to take care of soil fertility. You shouldn’t want to make use of supplemental fertilizer in case you keep on prime of those annual amendments.
Rising Suggestions
- Plant in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to eight.
- Guarantee a soil pH of 5.5 to six.5.
- Every time the highest inch of soil feels dry, deeply irrigate the basis zone.
Pruning and Upkeep
The natural-looking type of most dogwoods develops a good looking form by itself with out the necessity for any pruning.
However it positively helps the tree’s look and well being to prune any branches which might be broken, useless, or sickly everytime you occur to note them.
Minor annual pruning within the spring to take away rubbing, crossing, and obtrusive branches will improve airflow and enhance aesthetics.
Rake up fallen leaves after they drop. Sustaining a two- to four-inch layer of mulch over the basis zone with out coming into contact with the trunk will assist to suppress weed development and forestall moisture loss.
Cultivars to Choose
For a specimen to get you began, you should buy a kousa dogwood in a #1, #4, or #5 container from Nature Hills Nursery.
Kousa Dogwood
Alongside the usual species, some superior cultivars can be found as we speak. Let’s discover a number of.
Gold Star
A 20-foot-tall and 15-foot-wide cultivar of the chinensis subspecies, ‘Gold Star’ has leaves with a broad splash of yellow variegation operating vertically down the middle, purple leaf stems, and the white bracts are a bit much less pointed than these of the usual species.
Come fall, the yellow variegation turns purple, and the sides of the leaves morph to a reddish-purple hue.
With an total droopy type in addition, ‘Gold Star’ earns its title in each magnificence and distinction.
Milky Approach
One other chinensis cultivar, ‘Milky Approach’ has prolific and shiny blooms, similar to the celebs in our galaxy.
Attaining a 20-foot top and width at maturity, this selection flowers closely in June, with leaves that flip shades of orange-red to scarlet in fall.
This cultivar produces giant berries that mature in summer time, and these persist lengthy into late fall previous the purpose of leaf drop. With its unparalleled flowering, ‘Milky Approach’ shouldn’t be a spread to disregard.
Miss Satomi
Additionally bought beneath the commerce names ‘Rosabella’ and ‘New Purple,’ ‘Miss Satomi’ has stunning, rose-colored leaf bracts, and reaches a top of 12 to fifteen toes with a 10- to 12-foot unfold when absolutely grown.
This selection is an superior selection for individuals who search a change from the standard white “blooms.” Plus, ‘Miss Satomi’ was a 1993 winner of the RHS Award of Backyard Advantage!
Moonbeam
Need dimension over amount? With ‘Moonbeam,’ you’ll have flowers twice as massive as these of the usual species, with every bloom measuring seven to eight inches in diameter.
At a mature top and width of 15 to 25 toes, ‘Moonbeam’ proves that larger (flowers) typically are higher.
Wolf Eyes
Though C. kousa is already a small understory tree, ‘Wolf Eyes’ is even smaller, topping out at 15 toes in top and width.
Together with its diminutive dimension, ‘Wolf Eyes’ flaunts leaves edged with white that flip a surprising pink to purple in fall.
This variegation within the foliage is sort of secure, and the leaves are much less more likely to burn than these of different variegated sorts of Cornus.
This plant is slow-growing, and truly prefers partial shade to full solar.
One other recipient of the RHS Award of Backyard Advantage, granted in 2012, ‘Wolf Eyes’ suits within the shaded, tight areas of gardens the place different bushes gained’t – and does it with model.
Managing Pests and Illness
Top-of-the-line traits of C. kousa is its resistance to pests and pathogens.
Frequent Cornus points similar to anthracnose, powdery mildew, and dogwood borer infestations will not be an issue for this tree.
Utilizing sterilized gardening instruments, disease-free crops, and clear soil are all smart methods of stopping potential issues, in fact.
Choosing cultivars famend for his or her resilience is one other sensible technique.
However for probably the most half, a C. kousa doesn’t require the priority over infestation and an infection that, say, a C. florida specimen would.
Make sure to choose an acceptable planting web site with sufficient solar publicity and soil drainage to keep away from points with rot, and to advertise flowering.
Finest Makes use of
Kousa dogwood is beautiful sufficient to pose as a specimen within the panorama – it’s a one-plant present.
However when planted in multiples and organized in a line, these bushes make for a stable and aesthetic border. It’ll actually look higher than a wall or fence, if I do say so myself!
As a basis planting, this tree’s horizontal branching pairs fairly properly with the vertical traces fashioned by the corners and edges of buildings, making the man-made constructions in some way seem bigger.
And it goes with out saying {that a} C. kousa is the right planting for individuals who need the dogwood aesthetic sans any vital pest and illness threat.
Fast Reference Rising Information
Plant Sort: | Deciduous flowering tree | Flower/Foliage Coloration: | Golden yellow, white/darkish inexperienced |
Native to: | China, Japan, Korea | Upkeep: | Reasonable |
Hardiness (USDA Zones): | 5-8 | Tolerance: | Chilly, deer, dogwood anthracnose, dogwood borers, frost, powdery mildew |
Bloom Time: | Might to June/late spring to early summer time | Soil Sort: | Moist, fertile |
Publicity: | Full solar to partial shade | Soil pH: | 5.5-6.5 |
Time to Maturity: | 5-7 years | Soil Drainage: | Nicely-draining |
Spacing: | 20 toes aside, 6 toes from constructions | Attracts: | Bees, different pollinating bugs, songbirds, squirrels |
Planting Depth: | 1/2 inch (seeds), depth of root system (transplants) | Makes use of: | Border, basis planting, specimen |
Top: | 15-30 toes | Household: | Cornaceae |
Unfold: | 15-30 toes | Genus: | Cornus |
Water Wants: | Reasonable | Species: | Kousa |
Frequent Pests and Illnesses: | Root rot | Subspecies: | Chinensis, kousa |
Bark up the Proper Tree
As a tree fanatic, it pains me to say this… however not each tree must be planted. Like a Bradford pear tree, as an example.
Planting a species identified as we speak to be invasive all through most elements of the US could be a complete mistake, similar to misinterpreting a bartender’s friendliness for flirtatiousness.
However I’m assured in saying that the kousa dogwood is unquestionably worthy of a spot in your panorama in case you dwell in an appropriate Hardiness Zone. Its magnificence and resilience are sufficient to earn it a spot in your backyard.
Have questions, issues, or remarks to share? Put ’em within the feedback part under!
Fascinated with rising different sorts of panorama bushes? Take a look at these guides subsequent:
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