Plant guide: Cornus kousa
Botanical name:
Cornus kousa
Cornus kousa, the Japanese dogwood, is a gorgeous small tree, with interest in every season. Flowering in late Spring, with distinctive four-petalled white or pink “flowers” (botanically, the large “petal” is actually a bract, or modified leaf, and the flower is the central bud in the middle of this), in Summer it produces red strawberry-like berries, before the leaves turn red in Autumn and fall to the ground.
It's a small growing tree, so is perfect for a spot where space is limited. The multi-stemmed forms are especially attractive, with their many branches emerging from the ground.
Plant type:
Deciduous shrub or small tree
Growing conditions:
Cornus kousa needs full sun to part shade, and moist but well-drained soil. It’s often grown as a specimen tree, for its dazzling Spring flowers, but also looks good underplanted in a mixed border.
Cornus kousa grows best in neutral to acidic soil, so is best avoided in areas with very alkaline soils.
How to plant:
Trees are available as container grown plants, rootballs and bare root plants. See our guides to planting out bare root trees and planting our container grown plants.
Trees bigger than 2m benefit from a tree stake.
How to propagate:
Propagate with semi-hardwood or hardwood cuttings. Cut stems after the tree has completed its flowering cycle, in Spring or later. Cuttings can be dipped in rooting hormone, to help promote growth, or you can just place them directly into compost.
Choose healthy stems to cut, from trees without signs of pests or diseases. Cut branches that are around the thickness of pencil, and prune back to about 15cm, cutting just below a bud. Cuttings can be placed with three or four in a single pot. Keep an eye on them and water well while they establish. Once the roots start to appear from the bottom of the pot, they can be moved on to individual containers.
Care:
Cornus kousa needs plenty of water while it is getting established, so water well for the growing season for the first few years.
If staked, check the ties periodically to make sure they have not got too tight, and loosen as needed.
Tree stakes can usually be removed after the first couple of years, once the trees are growing sturdily.
Prune once a year in the Autumn time to remove any dead, diseased or dying branches, and to maintain an attractive structure.
Grow with:
We love to use multi-stemmed Cornus kousa in a mixed border, underplanted with plants that do well in the dappled shade that the tree provides. We used an attractive multi-stemmed variety in our garden at Chelsea Flower Show 2025, underplanted with a riot of ferns, gillenia and rodgersia.
