Kousa dogwood

After a long and dreary winter, we look for signs of spring. Along with our spring flowering bulbs, our trees are beginning to bloom. One of the first is Cornelian Cherry Dogwood.

Kousa Dogwoods are in full flower in Northern Ohio. If you don’t have one in your landscape, it may be worth considering.

While on our BYGL conference call, I shared the glorious status of Kousa dogwoods (Cornus kousa var. chinensis) right now in NE Ohio.  Only one word can describe them, “OUTSTANDING”!!  Then Joe Boggs from the southern reaches of the state, asked me to repeat what I said about the Kousa’s here.  I told him that they were just reaching their full glory and were unbelievable due to the cooler weather and moisture.

 

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The kousa dogwood (Cornus florida) is an eye catcher. This 15 - 30 foot tall tree flowers a little later in the season compared to the native flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). The flowers, including the bracts which some people call erroneously call petals, appear above the tree's foliage. I have observed the bracts holding on for weeks. The fruit will develop as the season progresses and I have observed the squirrels having a feast as they ripen. 

Before posting this bygl-alert, I had planned on reviewing the many cultivars of Chinese or Kousa dogwood that have entered the market in recent years, including Cornus kousa crosses with Cornus florida (our native flowering dogwood).  I will do this soon, but cannot wait. This is such a year for the kousa dogwood in my side yard that I must share pictures of it from this season right now.

 

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How soon the glorious starch-white blossoms of flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) are gone for another season, even this year when the blooms of this native dogwood lasted longer than usual. Yet this short season is only a page in the book that is the genus Cornus (30-60 species). Corneliancherry dogwood (C. mas) was first, with chartreuse-yellow flowers arriving long before leaves in late March and early April. For rich northeast Ohio woodlands and some cultivated gardens, the herbaceous groundcover wildflower, bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) est arrivee...