Want a gorgeous tree that blooms on the edge of spring and summer with abundant white blooms and elegant form with seasonally interesting bark? Maybe you should add a kousa dogwood to your yard. The kousa dogwood is an Asian variety of our own native dogwood but has its own unique beauty and is resistant to many of the diseases that affect the North American Dogwood. When I think about cornus kousa, I think of beautiful oblong dogwood blooms in the garden in early summer when our native dogwood species have already lost their blooms. The fruit of cornus kousa is larger than that of our native dogwood and edible, making it a bird magnet for a few weeks in the fall. Kousa leaves are smoother and longer than the the leaves of the native dogwood with a deep green color that makes a great backdrop for the white flowers. In the fall, the kousa takes on a variegated orange, red and green that is more symmetrical and organized than the swirling psychedelic displays put on by our native dogwoods. The branch structure of the kousa is also lovely, with six branches appearing at each node and growing upward symmetrically from the stem to create an elegant cascade effect. Care should be taken when pruning as inexperience can result in diminishing rather than improving the cascade effect. Kousa dogwoods are resistant, but not immune, to borers and common dogwood fungal diseases. Like with all dogwoods, care should be taken to provide well draining soil rich in organic matter, and trees should receive extra care and mulch if planted in direct sunlight.
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