Description

A small tree or multi-stemmed shrub. Young trees have an upright, vase-shape habit, becoming more widely rounded with age. White flower “petals” are actually bracts which surround the center cluster of insignificant, yellowish-green, true flowers. Flowers are followed by berry-like fruits which persist into fall. Dark green leaves turn reddish-purple to scarlet in autumn. Mottled, exfoliating, tan and gray bark on mature trees is attractive in winter. Attracts birds. ‘Pam’s Mountain Bouquet’ is a cultivar selected by the plant scientists of the University of Tennessee Dogwood Working Team. Mountain Bouquet is a near-white flowering form whose petal-like bracts fuse together forming a nearly perfect square. C. kousa has better disease resistance and better cold hardiness than flowering dogwood, C. florida, as well as flowering a month later than the native tree. Leaf scorch may occur in full sun. Grows at a slow to medium rate, with height increases of anywhere from less than 12″ to 24″ per year. Height: 15-25 ft. Spread: 10-15 ft. Family: Cornaceae Bloom time: late May through early June Sun: full sun to part shade Water: medium According to Rutgers University, Cornus kousa. are “seldom severely damaged” by deer.