Plant: Milky Way - Kousa Dogwood Tree

Plant description

Milky Way is a kousa dogwood whose flowering appears to be biennial. Kousa dogwood is a slow growing, spreading to vase shaped tree 20 to 30 feet tall and 15 to 30 feet wide, with showy white bracts 2 to 3 inches long opening in late spring after the leaves emerge. Round raspberry like pink to red fruit follows in summer and fall, and the foliage turns purple to red. Exfoliating tan and brown bark gives winter interest. It wants moist, fertile, well drained acidic loam, tolerates afternoon sun better than flowering dogwood and resists anthracnose and powdery mildew.

Flowers

Showy white to slightly yellowish white bracts 2 to 3 inches long surround the inconspicuous true flowers, opening in late spring after the leaves emerge; some selections age to pinkish.

Foliage

Opposite, simple, oval leaves 1 to 3 inches long, shiny and dark green with tufts of golden brown hairs in the vein axils, turning purple to reddish in fall.

Fruit

A round raspberry like drupe, light red to pink outside with fleshy yellowish orange flesh, technically edible but usually left for the birds.

Bark & stems

Smooth and light brown on young trees, developing exfoliating patches of tan and brown with age.

Light

Afternoon Sun

Native range

China to temperate eastern Asia

Plant details