Great Design Plant: Kousa Dogwood — Four-Season Ornamental Tree

Cornus kousa (kousa dogwood) is a beautiful ornamental tree less common than its relative, flowering dogwood (C. florida). It offers spring bracts for 4–6 weeks, quirky late-summer berries, vibrant fall color, and gorgeous exfoliating mottled bark in winter.

Botanical name: Cornus kousa
Common names: Kousa dogwood; Korean, Chinese, or Japanese dogwood
USDA zones: 5–8
Water: Consistent moisture
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: 20–30 ft tall, equal spread at maturity
Benefits: Resists anthracnose (plagues flowering dogwood). Prefers moist, well-drained soil but tolerates dry/compact soils.
Seasonal interest: Spring bracts, summer fruit, reddish-purple fall foliage
When to plant: After last spring frost

Distinguishing Traits

More upright than flowering dogwood; ages from vase-shaped to rounded. Showy “blooms” are actually bracts beneath small yellow-green flowers. Bracts appear in spring, last ~6 weeks, turn pink with age. Late summer/early fall: pink edible berries (~½" diameter), bumpy, ripening to dark raspberry — key ID feature. Fall: brilliant reddish-purple leaves. Winter: exfoliating bark reveals lovely pattern.

Landscape Uses

• Specimen tree or grove.
• Edge of woodland (tolerates partial shade).
• Extend bloom season: pair with flowering dogwood — kousas bloom ~1 month later.

Planting Notes

Soil: loose, fertile, well-drained. Till area ≥3× root ball size.
Steps:
1. Dig hole 2× as wide and as deep as root ball.
2. Loosen roots, place in hole. Backfill halfway, water, let drain, finish backfilling.
3. Water thoroughly, add few inches mulch (keep off trunk).