Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 5-8
- Mature Height: 15-25' tall
- Mature Width: 15-25' wide
- Exposure: Full Sun/Part Shade
- Spacing: 15-25' apart
Why the Japanese Dogwood?
Japanese Kousa Dogwood is a showstopper in late spring, when its branches—arranged in broad wedding-cake tiers—are frosted thickly with brilliant white flowers. The branches literally sag under the weight of all those flowers! Kousa Dogwood is a lovely mid-sized specimen tree to plant in celebration of a wedding anniversary. Every year the “wedding cake” display will become grander and more beautiful. This Dogwood’s compact size makes it easy to fit in anywhere in your landscape—even under most power lines. This choice specimen tree adds value to a home wherever it is planted and will give many years of pleasure to whoever is lucky enough to own one.
A kinship exists between many American plants and their Japanese counterparts half a world away. Our Flowering Dogwood and the Japanese Kousa Dogwood are the most famous examples. The two are so closely related that they can interbreed, but no one knew it until the 1800s, when Japan finally opened its long-closed borders. Thomas Hogg, Jr. sent the first Kousasthe West had ever seen to his brother James in New York in 1875. Like our native Flowering Dogwoods, Kousas can be grown in “Clump-Form,” or in “Tree-Form”—as we offer here.
How to use in the landscape?
This is one outstanding Dogwood! Creamy white flowers just seem to hover above bright green leaves. Absolutely covered with flowers in mid-summer, Japanese Dogwoods bloom later than others. Exfoliating bark, which becomes more defined with age, is just one other tantalizing characteristic. Japanese Dogwoods also produce edible strawberry-like fruit and have beautiful reddish-purple fall color. Winner of the Cary Award from the Worcester County Horticultural Society and chosen for its outstanding performance, hardiness and eye-appeal.
Why Bower & Branch?
At Bower & Branch, it’s our job to know and grow trees… especially big trees.
- Trusted, Experienced Growers
- Trusted, Knowledgeable Expertise
- Trusted Brand of Quality Trees Across the United States
We do the hard part. Our trees and plants are grown and cared for by only the best, local growers for years before they find their forever home in your landscape. Bower & Branch is known for having hard-to-find, substantial sizes and selection. The quality of our trees and plants are consistent in health and vigor—always ready for immediate impact in your garden and instant curb appeal. We never rush our trees to reach a 'grade size.’ Our trees are grown for quality height, vigor, health and age.
We believe in empowering homeowners with the truth about strong, healthy and structurally sound plants that are grown to perform in the ground after they leave the nursery for home delivery, always fresh inventory from the grower.
How To Plant
Kousa Dogwood is an uncommon tree, which is surprising, given how easy it is to please and how much it has to offer. This naturally disease-resistant tree enjoys a site in full sun or part shade and wants regular irrigation but no “wet feet.” It has a preference for acid soils, so if rhododendrons and azaleas grow well in your area, this is definitely the tree for you (though it’s adaptable to other situations, too). As your tree grows, you’ll probably want to remove the lowermost branches to show off that amazing jigsaw-puzzle bark! Pruning is best done shortly after the flowers are spent.
How To Water
Dogwood Trees will appreciate watering deeply, and regularly during its first few years in the ground. Irrigate weekly, and especially during long dry spells or extreme heat after it’s established.
How To Fertilize
Incorporate Elements Starter Plant food granular form into the soil when planting. If planting in spring or summer, start fertilizing late fall using Elements Starter Plant food granular form on an annual basis each late fall. If planting in the fall, use Elements fertilizer while planting and start your regular annual fertilizing the following fall. Continue this for the first three years to get your plant well established as it gives your tree the nutrients it needs to produce lush new growth for the following spring.
How To Prune
As your tree grows, you’ll probably want to remove the lowermost branches to show off that amazing jigsaw-puzzle bark! Pruning is best done shortly after the flowers are spent.
Planting Zones
Hardiness Zone: 5-8
Videos
How Does Shipping Work?
Bower & Branch Trees, the real BIG trees, don’t fit in a box! Our large trees require expert delivery and care, that means our large trees are shipped on Bower & Branch trucks. We are the only ones who know how to ship our big and bigger trees and plants with tender loving care.
We deliver your trees and plants directly to your driveway or curbside! Ask Bower & Branch about planting services and rates – we'd be happy to assist in installation.
*Big trees and shrubs, Size XL (A) and bigger, will take approximately 2 to 4 weeks to be delivered. - Sizes Large (AA) and smaller (Treelings, Shrubs, Bushes, and Perennials) will be shipped directly to your home by a local common carrier in a plant-safe box.
How Does Sizing Work?
The size of our trees have nothing to do with the container size like you may find elsewhere–big doesn't mean just height - it’s also vigor, age, and overall health.. Other online retailers are going to tell you that a plant is a seven gallon, that means nothing to your tree or plant (or you.)
Our trees for sale online are graded on large, x-large, and even bigger sizes. This is because our trees are sized by their age—the higher the letter, the more mature the tree. The age determines the trees’ overall height, size of the trunk and the overall branch density.
All of these characteristics are what you should be looking for when choosing a tree for immediate impact and instant curb appeal. Our extra-large tree and plant sizes are sure to wow you and your neighbors!
See the size guides below.
