Chinese Flowering Dogwood (Cornus Kousa) - White Flowering Tree with Exfoliating Bark

Discover the striking beauty of Chinese Flowering Dogwood (Cornus kousa), an underused ornamental tree featuring elegant branching habit, exfoliating bark, and long-blooming white flowers. This exceptional flowering tree delivers 4-6 weeks of white flowering bracts in late spring, followed by unique red fruit and deep scarlet fall color, making it a multi-season showpiece for Canadian gardens.

Why Choose Chinese Flowering Dogwood:

• Long Blooming Period: 4-6 weeks of white flowering bracts
• Branching Like Japanese Maple: Elegant, layered growth habit
• Exfoliating Bark: Beautiful winter interest once established
• Unique Red Fruit: Ornamental berries add visual interest
• Deep Scarlet Fall Color: Stunning autumn display
• Emily's Favorite: "I have five, you can never have too many!"

Key Features:

• White Flowering Bracts: Long-lasting late spring blooms
• Layered Branching: Architectural structure similar to Japanese maples
• Multi-Season Interest: Spring flowers, summer foliage, fall color, winter bark
• Ornamental Fruit: Unique red berries (not sterile)
• Specimen Quality: Perfect focal plant for gardens
• Full to Part Sun: Flowers best with good light

Size at Maturity:

• Height: 10-15 feet
• Spread: 8-12 feet
• Bloom time: Late spring
• Flower color: White
• Fall color: Deep scarlet
• Winter feature: Exfoliating bark

Ideal Uses:

• Specimen or focal plant
• Multi-season interest gardens
• Memorial plantings
• Ornamental landscape features
• Low maintenance gardens

Emily's Tip: Add exceptional multi-season beauty to your landscape with this stunning flowering dogwood.  Cornus kousa, better known as the Chinese flowering dogwood, is a striking, underused tree in my opinion! It has a branching habit that parallels a Japanese maple and exfoliating bark once established. The long-blooming white flowering bracts last 4-6 weeks in my garden, flowering in late spring followed by drooping green leaves. This is not a sterile tree and will give you unique red fruit and deep scarlet fall color. It flowers best in full to part sun and is perfect as a specimen or focal plant in your garden. I have five—you can never have too many!

Note: The difference between Chinese flowering dogwood and Venus is that Chinese flowering dogwood is wider with more layered growth and produces fruit, while Venus is vase-shaped, more slender with larger flowers. Other notable cultivars include Cornus 'Milky Way', Cornus 'Venus', and Cornus 'Snow Tower'.